Your eyes are the prize

On Behalf of | May 15, 2017 | Blog

It may be no comfort to know that 90 percent of all injuries to the eyes are preventable. However, because eye injuries often happen so quickly, literally in a blink, it may be too late to employ protection. There is no doubt you have spent the time since your eye injury replaying the incident and regretting your delay in applying safety measures.

Some surveys show that about 60 percent of those with eye injuries were not wearing protection at the time of their accidents. It may also surprise you that in many of those cases, their jobs did not require protective eyewear. Perhaps in your line of work, eyewear was optional.

Precautions

Even when eye protection is not mandatory, your eyes may still be at risk. About 70 percent of workplace eye damage happens when tiny objects fall or fly. For example, dust, debris or even pieces of tools may dislodge and fly through the air.

You may not even realize that potential hazards are right on your body. If you have debris on your hat, in your hair or on your clothes, it may fall into your eyes as you move around. You may also have something on your hands or gloves that gets into your eyes if you touch your face.

Safety glasses are the first step to preventing eye injuries; however, such glasses must be appropriate for your job, and they must fit properly. Broken, ill-fitting or inadequate eyewear may not provide the protection you need. In some cases, a full face mask is the best protection. Even if your job doesn’t require glasses, you may wish to err on the side of caution.

What to do if an eye injury costs you your vision

Despite the precautions you may have taken on the job, it only took a fraction of a second for a foreign substance to compromise your vision. Whether it was a piece of debris, a drop of chemical or defective safety glasses, you now must adjust to spending the rest of your life with reduced vision. Perhaps your injury has cost you your sight completely.

You may be concerned about how you and your family will cope if you are no longer able to work. Although workers’ compensation is available to provide for your medical bills and lost wages, you may soon discover that the process of claiming such benefits is not so easy. Many in your situation find assistance and guidance by contacting an attorney who will strive to obtain the maximum benefits possible for your situation.

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