Eye Health in the Workplace
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is on this Monday 28th April and the effective management of eye health is an important contribution to a healthy, safe and productive workplace. Up to 50,000 eye injuries occur per year – that’s approximately seven in 1000! Visual impairment or injury reduces a person’s independence and can contribute to isolation, depression and have adverse effects on work and social relationships.
The most common eye health and safety concern is from computer screens, which have been blamed for a wide range of health problems. Whilst there is no evidence that screens cause disease or permanent damage to eyes, they can create a range of negative health effects. Long periods of work and visually demanding tasks can cause dry or tired eyes, headaches, blurred vision and other discomfort. When these problems do occur, they are usually caused by the way in which screens are being used. You can help maintain your eye health by ensuring screens are well positioned and properly adjusted, workplace lighting is suitable, workplace ergonomics are appropriate and eye tests are undertaken as necessary.
When working with computer screens all day, you may be prone to headaches caused by a combination of screen glare, stress from the pace of work, poor image quality or reading the screen for long periods of time without taking a break.
Workers experiencing aches or pains should advise their supervisor or line manager. Problems can often be avoided with good workplace design and appropriate work practices such as taking frequent short breaks from the workstation and screen. Prevention is most effective if risks are identified and documented, and action is taken early before a potential problem becomes serious.