Eye Protection in health care facilities: Part 2

What types of safety eye wear is available for hospital workers?

The presently available safety eyewear include:

- non prescription eye glasses
- prescription safety glasses
- goggles
- Face shields that are combined with a surgical mask

Eye goggles are easy to use and do provide an important protective function. Before buying a pair of eye goggles one should look for the following features:

- are the goggles lightweight
- are the goggles easy to wear and comfortable
- Do the goggles protect against fluid splatter
- Do the goggles easily fog up?
- Are the lenses strong?
- Are the goggles resistant to chemicals and fluids?
- Are the goggles scratchproof?

It is highly recommended that one wear eye protection if there is any potential for eye injury. Today, OSHA standards require that all health care facilities make available to their staff appropriate eye protection. To be useful, the eyewear must be of the correct type for the risk encountered and correctly fitted.

Eye protection devices must be maintained if one wants them to last. The lenses should be regularly cleaned – dented, scratched or and soiled lenses can diminish vision and may be a factor in causing injury

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