Do You Look After Your Eyes In The Work Place?


by Louise Forrest - Date: 2007-03-26 - Word Count: 717 Share This!

Our eyes are extremely sensitive and fragile, and the slightest thing could cause them to not function properly. Many people do not realize that their work environment could be contributing to causing several eye problems.

Most of us spend at least half of our lives working and so it makes sense that if we do not look after ourselves at work, our health could seriously suffer, including our eyes. So what exactly can you do to avoid damaging your eyes in the workplace?

Protecting Your Eyes in the Workplace

Sometimes before you start work, it may be a good idea to try and see if you can spot any potential hazards and eliminate them as much as possible.

An example of this could be if you work in an office and you work on a computer a lot of the time. Do you know the risks of constantly looking at a computer screen? Is there anything you can do to minimize those risks? The main thing you should be doing is taking regular breaks. It is only though constant strain that the eyes will have problems, so if you do take plenty of screen breaks, you should be OK.

If you do not take enough breaks, the prolonged use of a computer screen can result in what is known as computer vision syndrome (CVS). The symptoms of this condition could include blurry vision, strained eyes, and sensitivity in the eyes. Another thing to remember is that if you need glasses, you should always wear them for using the computer. You may even need a special pair just for use on a computer. It is always best to consult your optician to see what they recommend.

There are other precautions which are covered in health and safety regulations to help protect your eyes from damage in an office. For example, poor lighting can strain your eyes considerably, which could lead to poor vision. To prevent this, you need to have plenty of natural lighting, as false lighting can cause the eyes to strain too much. Little things such as positioning your desk close to a window can really help with this.

Other jobs may have a higher risk of injury to your eyes such as working on a production line or in a warehouse. In these types of jobs, anything can get into your eyes, such as dirt, oil debris and bits of metal, all of which can cause serious eye problems.

A simple way to protect your eyes in potentially eye damaging conditions is to wear safety glasses. They may make you feel uncomfortable or self conscious at times, but it is better to wear them than to risk losing the sight in your eyes. Other protections you may need include:

Non prescription and prescription safety glasses
Face shields
Welding helmets
Full face respirators

The type of protection that you will need will depend entirely on the hazard which you are presented with. If you are faced with chemical conditions, safety goggles are your best defense. So always make sure you use the right equipment for the job.

If you do get debris or anything in the eye at work, do not rub the eye as this can cause even more damage to it. For smaller debris, blinking repeatedly should produce enough tears to flush it out. If this does not work you should try washing the eye out.

If metal or anything else is embedded into the eye and you rub it, it can scratch the cornea. You should never try to remove anything from your eye yourself. You really need to go to the hospital right away to have it taken out.

Another serious potential problem could be a chemical splash. If this does happen to you, you should quickly flush the eye out with clean water for around ten minutes, whilst gently holding the eye open. After this, rush to the hospital to get emergency attention.

Overall, there are many hazards in the workplace for our eyes and we should always take them seriously. Try and minimize the problems as much as possible and be sure to read the companies health and safety regulations thoroughly so that you know what protection you should be using. Never risk your health when potential problems could be prevented.

Related Tags: eye care, eye skin care, eye treatments

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