Eye Strain Injuries: Workplace Hazards to Your Vision
Also known as eye fatigue, eye strain refers to weariness of your eyes and poor vision. When eye strain happens, you may suffer from blurry vision, double vision, dry eye, excessive tearing of the eyes, and discomfort of your eyes. Eye strain can also cause you to experience serious headaches as well as pain in your neck and shoulders.
Though this may seem like a minor inconvenience of the modern world, eye strain is one of the more common workplace injuries people experience today. Our Oklahoma City, OK lawyers would like to explore this issue and whether or not employees can receive workers’ compensation for their impacted vision.
Causes of Eye Strain
Eye strain is the result of staring at a screen or monitor for too long. It can also be caused by driving for a long time. Your eyes get tired of looking at a single object or at a single distance for long periods of time. With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, eye strain has unfortunately become more common today.
Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer vision syndrome is a specific type of eye strain linked to using the computer for extended amounts of time. When staring at a computer screen for long periods, a person’s natural spontaneous blink rate decreases by as much as 42 percent. This can result in dry eye and eye strain that negatively impact vision and general well-being.
So many people work at the computer in offices or as freelancers. It’s estimated that computer-related eye fatigue is reported in up to 15 percent of eye exams.
Can These Eye and Vision Issues Be Avoided?
Yes, there are a few things you can do to prevent severe eye strain at home and at work:
- Place computer screens roughly 20-26 inches away from your face
- Clean smudges and dust off screens
- Avoid glare on screens by using a glare filter
- Take regular breaks from using the computer while working
Many people use a 20-20-20 rule when working at a computer as a way of preventing eye strain. Every 20 minutes, look away from the monitor at an object 20 feet away, and do so for 20 seconds. Simple activities such as this can make a major difference.
Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation for Eye Strain?
Yes, it is possible to receive workers’ compensation if your eye strain or computer vision syndrome is serious and causes you to miss work or take time off to recover. You’ll need your general practitioner to provide their professional opinion about the matter and how it has impacted your well being and effectiveness at your job.
If you are denied workers’ compensation, our law firm can help review your claim and help determine why it was denied. We will help you receive just compensation given what you are enduring.
Do I Have a Legal Claim Against My Employer?
This is a trickier matter. The eye injuries you sustained at work would have to be the result of negligence on the part of your employer. Proving negligence with regard to eye strain and computer vision syndrome can be difficult given the very nature of these injuries. That said, it may be possible to file this lawsuit if it’s part of a pattern of an employer’s disregard for the well-being of its employees.
If you would like to discuss your case, our work injury lawyers are here to help you. We can discuss various kinds of repetitive strain and stress injuries that you and your co-workers experience. We’ll then offer an honest assessment of whether or not you have a case.
Learn More About Your Legal Options at Your Workplace
For more information about filing a work injury claim over eye strain and repetitive damage to the eyes, be sure to contact our experienced team of attorneys today. We look forward to your visit and discussing these matters in greater detail.
