It’s important to be aware of your surroundings whether at work or play, especially when it comes to your eyes. For those who work in environments with occupational hazards like construction or manufacturing, it’s important to take extra precautions like wearing protective eyewear. However, when accidents may occur, many neglect to protect their eyes.

Every day, 1,000 Americans experience eye injuries while on the job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that almost 70% of the eye injuries studied occurred from falling or flying objects, or sparks striking the eye.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that most eye injuries happen in the workplace. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ocular Trauma, nearly half of all eye injuries occurred in the home. More than 40 percent of eye injuries were caused by projects and household activities such as home repairs, yard work, cleaning and cooking.

How can you help to preserve your vision whether at work or doing daily activities? Most injuries could be prevented if individuals wear appropriate protective eyewear:

• On the job: Safety glasses and goggles should be utilized at all times. For welders, special goggles should protect your eyes from the intense exposure to heat and light.
• At home: From mowing the lawn to doing household renovations, these unsuspecting activities can be an eye injury accident waiting to happen. Be sure to wear safety goggles to provide protection for your eyes
• On the field: Sports eye injuries are common, which can not only put you on the sidelines but also leave a person from suffering varying degrees of vision loss. Sports eyewear can be used in different games like basketball or soccer and can protect sight while enhancing your game.

Visit your eyecare provider for more information and get yourself fitted for protective eyewear today.

If you have changed your iPhone settings to a larger font — you’re not alone. The gradual loss of the ability to focus on near things, also known as presbyopia, starts at around age 40 and affects many people, including millions of people who previously had perfect vision.

Presbyopia is similar to farsightedness, in that it makes it tough to focus on items close up, but it’s caused by a loss of flexibility in the lens as people age. One of the most obvious signs of presbyopia is the need to hold reading materials at arm’s length in order to focus properly. Other symptoms include eyestrain, headaches or feeling tired from doing up-close work.

Once a change in your eyesight is detected, you should visit an eye care professional. Since nearly everyone develops presbyopia, if a person also has myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism, the conditions will combine. Your optometrist will find the best glasses or contact lenses for you and your lifestyle.

Below are some options to consider:

Reading glasses
Reading glasses are typically worn just during close work such as reading, sewing, etc. These “readers” are easily purchased at drug stores and other retail stores. You can also choose higher-quality versions prescribed by your eye doctor. If you wear contact lenses, your eye doctor can prescribe reading glasses that can be worn with your regular contacts to help you adjust to detailed, close-up work.

Bifocals
Bifocal lenses have two different points of focus. The upper part of the eyeglass lens is set for distance vision, while the lower portion of the lens has a prescription set for seeing close work.

Progressive Lenses
Progressive lenses are similar to bifocals, but they offer a more gradual visual transition between the two prescriptions with no visible line between them.

Multifocal contact lenses
Just as bifocal lenses have two levels of corrective power, multifocal contact lenses create multiple levels of corrective power.

Monovision
Another way to correct presbyopia with contact lenses is monovision, in which one eye has a contact set for distance, and the other has a contact set for near vision. The brain learns to adapt to using one eye or the other for different tasks.

Because presbyopia cannot be prevented, it is important to visit your eye care provider regularly to ensure you have the correct eyewear to enhance your daily life.