Eye Injury Epidemiology & Prevention of Ophthalmic Injuries

According to the World Eye Injury Registry nearly two and half million eye injuries occur each year in the United States with almost one million of those injuries resulting in some sort of permanent vision impairment. Estimates from the National Society to Prevent Blindness are that 90 percent of the eye injuries are preventable.

Eye Injury Epidemiology

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all eye injuries are the result of falling, flying objects or sparks.

  Other common causes of eye injury are contamination of the eye with chemical agents or smoke.

  According to the World Eye Injury Registry most people suffering eye injuries are young, with the majority of incidents occurring in people under the age of 30. Injuries are second only to cataracts in causing loss of vision and are the leading cause of hospital admissions for eye problems.

Preventing Eye Injuries

• Adequate protective eyewear is the most effective way to prevent eye injuries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics more than 1,000 eye injuries occur on the job each day. Of this total, approximately 600 instances occurred when the worker was not wearing proper eye protection.

  Proper eye protection includes glasses with lenses large enough to protect the entire eye and made of a polycarbonate material. The glasses should fit well enough not to be knocked off the worker in any sort of violent incident.

  Regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration require the employer to furnish adequate protective eyewear to workers.

  People playing sports should also wear protective eyewear. Sports, especially the closed room racket sports such as racquetball and squash, are known for their fast moving action. Balls that strike the eyes can cause significant eye injury.

  Homeowners should also invest in safety glasses. Household chemicals can cause serious injury if they come in contact with the eye. In addition to wearing protective eye glasses, care should be taken to make sure spray chemicals are pointed away from the face when used.

  Protective eyewear should be worn while doing yard work with power tools such as mowers or string trimmers. These items can kick up stones and other debris that could do damage to the eye. Children and pets should be kept away from the area to protect their eyes as well.

  Car owners should keep a pair of protective eye glasses in the car in case they need to do any emergency repairs. Using jumper cables can cause sparks and work around a battery can release acids that can damage the eye.