Protecting Your Eyes At The Office

While there are many more hazards when working in an industrial or labor-intensive work environment, that doesn’t mean your eyes are completely safe in an office. Protecting our eyes is still essential, so here are some tips to protect your vision while sitting behind a desk. 

Office Hazards

While there aren’t sparks flying or projectiles that could damage your eyes, an office still has hazards to consider. Here are a few common examples: 

• Computer Screens: When looking at a screen all day, it’s easy to develop a headache or eye strain due to not taking any breaks. 
• Foreign Objects: If you’re dealing with pencils, staplers, or sharp edges of paper, these can get stuck in your eyes or cut them on the cornea and cause damage. 
• Dust: Any airborne particles floating around could enter your eye and cause irritation or scratching. 

Tips For Office Safety

It is very common for those behind a desk to be staring at a screen for long periods without looking away. Our entire world has shifted to be online, and it has led companies such as SafeVision to create safety eyewear to protect our vision while on the job. With these hazards listed above, here are a few ways to protect your eyes. 

• Give Your Eyes Rest Breaks– Staring at a screen for long periods can be hard on our eyes. Give yourself a break every 20 minutes and use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, you take a break, stare at a spot at least 20 feet away, and hold your gaze for 20 seconds. This method has proved to help our vision adjust after looking only at a certain distance for a long time. 
• Blue Light Glasses– Blue light glasses have a lens that can help filter out high-energy blue light projected from computer screens. This filter can help reduce eyestrain and fatigue. 
• Adjust Your Computer Screen– When a screen is too close, it can cause neck problems, back pain, eye strain, and fatigue. OSHA recommends keeping your computer screen between 20 to 40 inches away from your eyes. 
• Blink More– Staring at a screen can make us forget to blink and lead to dry eyes. Make it a point to remember to blink and take breaks to blink frequently while looking away from the screen to keep your eyes from burning or getting tired. 
• Adjust Your Screen Lighting– Depending on the time of day, adjust your screen lighting to a lower setting, so it is not as harsh on our eyes. If there’s a glare, turn it down as well, or get an anti-glare cover over your screen to protect your eyes. 

Protect Your Eyes With SafeVision Safety Eyewear

Where a more manual labor job requires more full-coverage eye protection, there are still safety eyewear options at SafeVision to wear behind your desk. Our selection of eyewear includes our very own PENTAX safety eyewear line and the Wiley X brand line. Between the two, there are plenty of options to help keep your eyes protected and keep you looking stylish while on the job. To shop our eyewear, visit www.safevision.com. 

Work With Our Corporate Programs

If you’re an environmental health and safety manager looking to incorporate a safety eyewear program for your company, talk with one of our consultants at SafeVision about our corporate programs! As the leading manufacturer of safety prescription eyewear in North America, SafeVision has continuously provided businesses and industries with comprehensive eye protection products and programs for over 75 years. Our knowledge and experience are your best assets when creating or managing single or multi-location safety eyewear programs. To learn more, visit our website today at www.safevision.com/corporate-programs/.