March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month

Spring is underway here in Charlotte. It’s a time of year when many area residents enjoy walking around the city to observe budding trees, blooming flowers and returning birds. The sights of revitalized nature have a way of lifting spirits that were chilled by winter.

Those sights also remind us how critical it is to protect our eyes at home and at work. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that every single day, about 2,000 Americans workers suffer job-related eye injuries that require medical attention.

A recent news article points out that March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month; a time to raise awareness of on-the-job vision safety.

Experts say that work-related eye injuries are often caused by one or more of the following:

• Tools
• Flying objects such as bits of glass or metal
• Chemicals
• Radiation

Proper eye protection depends on where you work and what you do. For those who work where the air contains particles, dust or even flying bits of metal or glass, safety glasses with side shields can be required. For those working with potentially harmful chemicals, goggles might be needed.

For workers who are regularly exposed to radiation from welding, lasers or fiber optics, they are often best protected by special safety glasses, shields or helmets.

If you have suffered an injury to your eyes in the course of your work, you can be eligible for North Carolina workers’ compensation benefits. If your claim is turned down, you can fight for the benefits you need and deserve with the help of a lawyer experienced in workers’ comp appeals.