Protect yourself while at work …

Here is a summary of preventive first aid measures you should be aware of while you work.

SETTINGS   At Home                                 At Work   Formal work settings: Bankers, lawyers, clerical, computer users.           Semi -formal settings:   Welding workers, carpentry, electrician, aluminium workers. Construction/site engineers. Industrial/chemical work.           Informal:   Trading/business, mechanic, Drivers, farmers/agriculturalist       Sports:   Boxing, Football/soccer. Tennis, Baseball.   Security Agencies:

POSSIBLE HAZARDS   Chemical burns: perfume, fuel, bleach, washing liquid, vinegar, nail polish remover Penetrating eye injury/embedded foreign body:Broom stick, broken glass cup or bottles entering into the eye. Swollen eyes:Hit to the eye from the door, wall, slap on the eye. Scratched eye:Rubbing of the eyes when sand or dirt’s enters the eye during play or accidental brush over the eye with ones fingers.       Radiation exposure; UV ray, blue light. Digital eye strain, dry eyes.               Radiation exposure; Penetrating or embedded foreign body Chemical burn e.g. when harmful liquid splash into the eye.           Foreign body eye injury e.g. dust, sand entering the eye. Hit to the eye with cassava stick.       Head trauma, trauma to the eye, swelling eye injury, black eye etc.   Bullet wound, trauma to the eye and head, tear gas to the eyes, bomb explosion etc.

PREVENTION   Keep such harmful chemical out of reach for children and be cautious of such chemicals.   Avoid sharp object from entering the eye and keep it out of reach of children.   Make sure every corner of the building is well lighted, resolves disputes without violence.   Watch over the kids and be careful of the things you do at home.     Ensure proper lightening during reading and writing, use an anti-reflective screen guard for your computers or wear an anti-reflective lenses to protect you from the blue light rays emanating from your digital screens.   Wear eye goggles to cover your eyes from harmful ray and object from entering the eyes. Use helmet or face mask   Wear face mask/eye goggle during your work with such chemicals.     Avoid dust; wear sunshades to protect your eyes from dust and. Drivers are advised to wear seat belts while driving, cyclists to wear helmet.   Avoid being hit on the face and eyes. For contact sports always wear head helmet/eye protection.   Always wear protective gear when faced in such settings.

FIRST AID   Rinse the eye with a clean tap water for about 10minutes; consult your eye doctor immediately.   Rush immediately to your eye doctor. Do not try to bring out the objects yourself.   Massage the eye with cold water or ice bag, for about 10 minutes; consult your eye doctor.   Do not rub your eyes, rinse with clean water and consult your eye doctor.     See your eye doctor(optometrist) for routine eye examination.     See your eye doctor in case of any peculiar eye discomfort and always go for routine eye exam. In case of any accident to the eyes see your doctor first.         Rinse the eye thoroughly with clean running water for about 10 minutes, then consult with your eye doctor.                 Rinse your eye with clean water and see your eye doctor, In cases of and accident from driving or in the farm, go and see you eye doctor immediately.             Massage the eye with ice bag after such sport and see your eye doctor immediately if there is any hit to your eyes or face.

 

 

Eye Wellness in The Workplace…

Hello every one… have you had your eyes checked recently? The well being of our eyes is our responsibility. I hope that you took advantage of the many free glaucoma screenings held in eye care outfits all around the world last week to mark the World Glaucoma Week.

We will turn our focus back to eye wellness in the work place, addressing occupational eye hazards. If you are a worker in semi-formal setting such as the chemical companies, the quarry, rig, security agency, traffic regulator etc, you are also exposed to another facet of occupational ocular hazard. The risks of eye injuries are higher in such occupations, as well as the extended exposure to the dangerous UV rays from sunlight, dust and harsh weather conditions, among others.

Evaluate your work station, if your occupation falls under this category, what hazards are you exposed to in the course of doing your job? Which ones affect your eyes?

You must take proactive steps to protect your eyes – use safety goggles, sun glasses, wide-brimmed hats. See your Optometrist at least annually for comprehensive evaluation of your eyes to expose and handle those degenerative changes in your eyes that you may not have noticed yourself.

In cases of injury to the eye, seek professional care immediately.

Your work is important, but your eyes and vision are more important; you will need them to enjoy your retirement years even after your work is over.

Look around your work place/station or consider those daily tasks you perform as your vocation, could your eyes be exposed to any hazardous activity/material? Take action Today.

 

 

World Glaucoma Week…

World Glaucoma Week

The World Glaucoma Association has ear marked the 2^nd week of March every year as World Glaucoma Week to raise awareness on Glaucoma. This year it falls on March 6^th through 12^th, 2016. We do join them in raising awareness about Glaucoma – the sneak thief of sight.

Glaucoma is an eye condition in which damage to the nerve fiber layer of the eye results in irreversible blindness. This damage is most times asymptomatic and gradual. The damage to the said nerve fibre layer is principally a result of high intraocular pressure (IOP), hence many eye care professionals (including us at Silverspring Eye Clinic) will be screening for signs of this damage, and checking the intraocular pressure of willing candidates and the status of the inside/back of the eye within this Week. Do you know if your eye pressure is within normal limits?

If you are of African descent, have had an eye trauma in the past, have parents or siblings who have been diagnosed with glaucoma, are hypertensive/diabetic, are over 45 years of age, please use this opportunity (World Glaucoma Week) to confirm that your eye pressure is within normal limits and your eye is healthy. Prevention is always better than cure.

 

Occupational Ocular Hazards/Emergencies

Occupational Ocular Hazards/Emergencies

We spend most of our day at work, performing tasks or being exposed to environmental factors peculiar to our work environment that may result in eye emergencies or gradually lead to deterioration of our eyes and vision over time. Some of these emergencies though, may not be work-related; accidents may happen at home or at play. It is important to be aware of these things and protect yourself.

First, there are various types of occupations in formal, semi-formal or informal settings.

Jobs that fall within the formal setting category such as the white-collar jobs, the bankers, the teachers, the lawyers, the clerical staff etc… have peculiar ocular health risks associated with them. Such people may have more exposure to computer system blue light (poring over a computer monitor/digital device for a greater part of their day), poor lighting positioning in their work stations, continued strain on the eye in reading small print etc… The hazard/risk they are exposed to is dependent on the demands of their various jobs.

Those who fall within this occupational category will most likely experience digital eye strain, dry eye, poor accommodation, and difficulty in reading near print, among others.

Consider the demands of your work, what could you be repetitively doing that may be gradually hurting your eyes? Take precaution now to avoid irreparable damage in the future. You can seek the professional opinion of an eye care professional to guide you in taking these protective steps.

In cases of ocular emergency, please do not hesitate to locate the nearest Eye Clinic to you for first aid care and/management of the condition.