Occupational Eye Injury : The Neglected Role of Eye Protection

Abstract

82 Job-related eye injuries alone cost more than $300 million per year due to loss of production time, incurred medical expenses and worker compensation1. Ninety percent of these could have been prevented if the victims were wearing proper eye and face protection2. Two thousand US workers have job-related eye injuries. Many injuries are treated in emergency departments and many days of work are lost due to such injuries3. Approximately 70% of all reported facial injuries occurred to the eye. Approximately 70% of non-fatal eye injuries were caused by flying or falling objects or sparks4.