Wearing Protective Eyewear Outside the Workplace

Believe it or not, approximately one million eye injuries occur each year in the United States. And according to the US Eye Injury Registry , 43% occur within the home. Here’s a chart from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (www.aao.org) that encapsulates homeinjury scenarios and offers suggestions on prevention.

• In the house. When using household chemicals, read instructions and labels carefully, work in a wellventilated area and make sure to point spray nozzles away from you.
• In the workshop.Wear protective eyewear to shield your eyes from flying fragments, fumes, dust particles, sparks, and splashing chemicals. Many objects can fly into your eyes unexpectedly and cause injury.
• In the garden. Put on protective eyewear before you use a lawnmower, power trimmer, or edger and be sure to check for rocks and stones because they can become dangerous projectiles when propelled from these machines.
• Around the car. Battery acid, sparks, and debris from damaged or improperly jump-started auto batteries can severely damage your eyes. Keep protective goggles in the trunk of your car to use for those emergencies and everyday repairs.

For more information You can go to all of the organizations listed below or download the Guide to Eye and face Protection.

In addition, Prevent Blindness America sponsors the Wise Owl Program , which has recognized more than 84,000 people in the US whose sight was saved in an accident because they wore eye protection. It is a safety-education program designed to promote the widespread use of approved protective eyewear that meets ANSI Z87 industrial or ASTM sports standards. The info center number is 800-331-2020.

• www.aao.org American Academy of Ophthalmology; 415-561-8500
• www.ansi.org ANSI, American National Standards Institute; 212-642-4980
• www.bls.gov Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor; 202-691-5200
• www.cdc.gov CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention; 800-311-3435
• www.nei.nih.gov National Eye Institute; 301-496-5248
• www.osha.gov OSHA, Occupational Safety & Health Administration; 800-321-6742
• www.preventblindness.org Prevent Blindness America; 800-331-2020
• www.useironline.org United States Eye Injury Registry; 205-933-0064