According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), every year thousands of people are blinded by work-related eye injuries. An unsettling number of these injuries could have been prevented with proper eye protection. July marks Eye Injury Prevention Month and a time to take note of the simple steps that will help protect your vision. Beyond workplace injuries, nearly half of all eye injuries are related to sports or recreational activities. While fireworks are a popular pastime during the Fourth of July and other holidays, the number of eye injuries caused by fireworks nearly doubled from 2016 to 2017, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It is important to put safety first whenever possible to protect your eyes.

How to Protect Your Vision

The best defense against eye injury is to wear the right protective eyewear. This one simple step has the ability to prevent more than 90 percent of serious eye injuries, taking a serious cut out of the estimated $300M a year that is lost in productivity, medical treatment and worker compensation caused by workplace eye injuries. This combined with being aware of the dangers and eliminating hazards when possible. An example of how you may eliminate eye injury hazards in the workplace is by using machine guarding, work screens and other engineering controls on hazardous machines. And your rights to a safe workplace are protected, as OSHA requires employers to ensure the safety of all employees in the work environment. Eye and face protection must be provided whenever necessary to protect against chemical, environmental, radiological or mechanical irritants and hazards.

Take Legal Action if Someone Else is at Fault

If you or someone you know has suffered an eye injury due to someone else’s carelessness – including a doctor’s – or a defective product, there are legal actions you can take to protect yourself. Seeking the assistance of an attorney skilled in personal injury or workers compensation, depending on the case, can help you collect the financial compensation you deserve to cover losses from expensive medical visits, surgery, lost wages, pain, suffering and more.

The Lawyers of Distinction Membership Directory lists top lawyers in every state to help find the best professional to help with your case, while also providing helpful reviews of the lawyer, biographical information, as well as the location of the lawyer’s office.