Prevent Blindness Provides a Variety of Free Resources including Fact Sheets, Webpages, and Social Media Graphics on Workplace Eye Safety, and Digital Eye Strain
Prevent Blindness has declared March as Workplace Eye Wellness Month. The goal of the annual observance is to provide employers and employees with important information to help keep eyes safe and healthy at work. Prevent Blindness offers a variety of free resources including workplace eye safety fact sheets, shareable social media graphics, and webpages. Prevent Blindness also offers a Workplace Safety module as part of its Healthy Eyes Educational Series.
“Digital Eye Strain,” also referred to as “Computer Vision Syndrome,” is a group of symptoms experienced when using computers or other digital devices for long periods of time, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms may include dry eyes and/or irritated eyes, blurred or double vision, tearing or watery eyes, and headache.
Data from the “2025 Workplace Vision Health Report” from VSP Vision Care shows nearly 6 out of 10 employees say digital eye strain reduces their productivity and effectiveness at work. Around half say it affects their well-being and quality of life, makes them too tired to enjoy after-work activities, and causes them to be more irritable at work. And 27 percent have taken time off from work due to digital eye strain.
Wearing the proper eye protection at work is important for keeping eyes safe at job sites. In the most recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers suffered 18,510 eye-related injuries and illnesses in 2020. Contact with objects or equipment led to the majority of eye injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2020. Exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for nearly 5,000 cases. Construction trades workers had 2,120 eye-related injury or illness cases in 2020, with electricians making up more than 20 percent of those cases.
In the event of any eye injury, Prevent Blindness offers the “First Aid for Eye Emergencies” resource.
“Because many of us spend so much time at work, whether in an office setting or job site, Prevent Blindness encourages all workers to talk with their eyecare professional about the best ways to protect vision at work,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We also offer free eye safety resources to employers to help raise awareness and provide education for best practices to keep eyes safe and help maintain healthy vision for employees.”
