Buses a threat to eye health?

November 20, 2009

Should safety eye glasses become part of the uniform for bus drivers? Though the wardrobe addition is unlikely, a Scottish bus driver is still recovering from an attack in which a rock was thrown through the windshield of his bus, sending shards of glass into his eye, the BBC reports.

The glass was later removed, and there was no permanent damage to the driver's eye health. However, police were not able to track down the two teenagers spotted, one of whom is suspected of throwing the rock.
Driving buses isn't usually considered a hazard to eye health, but many positions require that workers wear safety eyeglasses.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) suggests that primary care physicians should seek to educate the public about the appropriate use of safety eyeglasses, and the employers "should mandate wear of eye protection in all activities in which a risk of eye injury exists."

According to the AOA, Occupational Safety and Health Administratio (OSHA) standards make it mandatory that employers provide workers with the correct eye protection.

These measures were put in place because thousands of preventable eye injuries occur every year because workers and athletes were not wearing the correct safety eyeglasses.