Each day, more than 2,000 U.S. workers receive medical treatment because of work-related eye injuries, with more than 800,000 eye injuries occurring annually.

"To help promote eye health and safety at work, Healthy Vision Month 2006 will focus on what employers and employees can do to reduce the number of job-related eye injuries," announced Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of vision research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Healthy Vision Month is an annual observance coordinated by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the NIH each May to encourage Americans to make vision a health priority.

"Workplace injury is a leading cause of eye trauma, vision loss, disability, and blindness. The resulting visual impairment can interfere with a person's ability to perform his or her job and carry out everyday activities," Dr. Sieving explained.

John Howard, M.D., director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said, "Simple improvements in workplace conditions and the use of the proper safety eyewear can greatly reduce the number of eye injuries. Identifying and removing or minimizing eye safety hazards is a critical part of a good eye safety program. Ensuring that workers have the appropriate eye protection for the job and that it is used are also key components."

Many eye injuries occur because workers are not wearing the right eye protection, it does not fit, or they are not wearing any protection at all. Flying fragments of metal, wood, concrete and other building materials, along with windblown dust and debris, splashes from chemicals and molten metal, hot sparks, optical radiation, and even the everyday nail, are common workplace eye hazards.

"Eye safety should receive continuing attention in workplace education programs," Dr. Sieving noted. "Procedures for handling eye injuries should be established and reinforced. Also, poor vision can affect work performance and safety. Workers should have a comprehensive eye examination on a regular basis to help maintain healthy vision, a first step in avoiding injuries on the job."

NEI, NIOSH, and the National Safety Council are cosponsoring Healthy Vision Month this year, and are working in collaboration with the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. Other organizations and businesses are also joining forces to make eye safety at work everyone's business.

For additional information, photos, and other available materials, visit: www.healthyvision2010.nei.nih.gov/hvm

Eye injury is a leading cause of monocular (one eye) blindness in the United States. Eye injuries interfere with people's ability to perform their jobs and carry out normal activities. In 2004, about 37,000 eye injuries occurred in the workplace that resulted in one or more days away from work. The majority of these eye injuries occurred in workers less than 45 years old (74%).

Employers can help create a safe working environment by doing the following:

• Providing appropriate safety eye protection for the types of hazards at the worksite
• Requiring all employees in hazardous situations to wear the appropriate eye protection
• Keeping protective eyewear in good condition and helping workers attain the proper fit
• Keeping bystanders out of work areas and/or behind protective barriers
• Providing emergency sterile eyewash solutions/stations near hazardous areas
• Posting first-aid instructions and information on how to get emergency aid.