Workers suffered 18,510 eye-related injuries and illnesses in 2020, the latest year on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most of these were the result of dangerous contact with objects or equipment. Additionally, a recent American Optometric Association report reveals 104 million Americans are exposed to excessive screen time and suffer effects, such as dry eyes and blurred vision. Given these statistics and the fact that it’s Workplace Eye Wellness Month, as declared by Prevent Blindness, three ODs provide suggestions for discussing eye safety with patients.

Learn about patients

Susan A. Primo, OD, MPH, FAAO, director, Optometry and Vision Rehabilitation Services, Emory University School of Medicine, and co-chair of the Center for Vision and Population Health at Prevent Blindness, recommends having techs ask about the patient’s family, work, and hobbies before the OD arrives. This way, the tech can get the patient to open up about any possible eye risk factors that might be present in their hobbies or profession. “Then, you can get a good sense of how they use their eyes,” Dr. Primo says.

Dr. Primo says she reviews information in the patient discussion to identify their eye wellness needs.

“Engage and include the person in the plan,” Dr. Primo advises. “It’s a dialogue with the patient.” As an example of such a plan, if a patient tells Dr. Primo that their eyes become dry after looking at a screen all day, she will suggest they try using artificial or natural tears and lubricating drops more frequently; she will also suggest taking a break from their screen every 20 minutes to look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds, in order to reduce eye strain from staring at digital devices.

 Another approach to learn about patient activities, says Karl Citek, OD, PhD., FAAO, DiplAAO, professor of optometry, Pacific University College of Optometry, is to ask open-ended questions. An example would be, “What do you do for work around the home and for recreation,” as a way to learn about the patient’s eye wellness needs.

Dr. Citek recommends prescribing safety or visual performance eye wear for patients involved in athletic activities such as baseball, basketball, pickleball, squash, and for patients who are professional tradespeople or involved in DIY projects such as plumbing, painting and using power tools and lawn mowers.

He suggests the following patient script: “Protecting your eyes in different situations is no different than wearing the proper shoes for different activities. You probably would not wear the same shoes going dancing as you would for hiking in the woods or walking in the snow, and you almost certainly would not go barefoot for these activities. As your eye doctor, I can help you choose the proper eyewear to protect your eyes and vision in the various activities that you do at work, at home, and for recreation.”

Educate patients on their options

Kenneth Daniels, OD, FAAO, of Hopewell Lambertville Eye Associates, in New Jersey, and adjunct faculty at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, in Elkins Park, Pa., recommends asking patients if they require safety eyewear at work and if they would like to purchase any from the practice. Be sure to let the patient know the full range of options available to them from your practice, he says, as that allows them to make more informed purchasing decisions. 

For example, one patient, a PhD student studying marine biology, presented explaining that she uses various technology, works in a lab, and works on research boats. As a result, Dr. Daniels says he was able to offer her multiple options of blue light eyeglasses, lab safety eyewear, daily contact lenses in conjunction with lab safety goggles, and daily contact lenses with sunwear —polarized or to be worn with her diving gear, Dr. Daniels says.

The patient ultimately chose blue light glasses for everyday activity and computer safety, polarized sport-based sunglasses for working on the boat, daily disposables for diving with her scuba mask, and is considering getting tinted sport performance lenses for water-based activities, to use in conjunction with sunglasses.

Safety first

More information on eye safety can be found on Prevent Blindness’ website, at preventblindness.org/preventing-eye-injuries/ and preventblindness.org/digital-devices-and-your-eyes/. Educational Workplace Eye Wellness Month assets can also be found at the Prevent Blindness website.

The AOA’s report on the effects of screen time on office workers can be found at bit.ly/AOAscreentimereport. OM