Each day about 2,000 U.S. workers have a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment, according to NIOSH. About one-third of the injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days of lost work. While vision loss is one of the 10 most common disabilities, 90 percent of eye injuries are preventable, according to NIOSH.
Most of these injuries result from small particles or objects striking or abrading the eye. Examples include metal slivers, wood chips, dust, and cement chips that are ejected by tools, wind blown, or fall from above a worker. Chemical burns to one or both eyes from splashes of industrial chemicals or cleaning products are common. Thermal burns to the eye occur as well.