Prevent Blindness America states that the most common agents of eye injuries in the workplace are:

•          Flying objects (bits of metal, plastic and glass)
•          Air or wind-blown objects (dust, wood and sand)
•          Tools (screwdrivers, wrenches and etc.)
•          Chemicals (oil, gasoline and acid)
•          Harmful radiation (welding arcs and UV)

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has estimated that 2.4 million eye injuries occur is the U.S. each year. About 1 million Americans have lost some degree of eyesight related to an eye injury.  Experts say that wearing safety glasses or taking other common precautions can prevent or lessen the degree of more than 90% of these eye injuries.

At home, household cleaners and chemicals are the leading causes of eye injuries. The most common objects that cause the injuries besides chemicals and cleaners are:

•          Mascara brushes and other cosmetic applications
•          Fingernails (when applying and removing contact lenses)
•          Lawn/Garden hand tools and machines
•          Bungee cords
•          Eyelash curlers
•          Falls, bumping into walls, etc.
•          Champagne corks
•          Battery acid
•          Toys/Games with hard/sharp edges

If there is a mishap you should contact your ophthalmologist immediately for
advice. Depending on the situation, your eye doctor may want you to flush your
eye/s with water or saline solution prior to your visit. He or she might also
recommend that you immediately go the hospital for further help. When working
with chemicals a sink should be near by at all times. If an accident occurs you should
flush your eyes with water for several minutes to dilute and rinse out any chemicals
that may have come into contact with your eyes.