Job-related eye injuries are a common cause of vision loss in New York City. Vision loss includes full or partial blindness and what is often described as “legal” blindness. But which New Yorkers are at the highest risk?
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently published results from a long term study of job-related eye injuries in the United States. The data shows that while 300,000 individuals visit ERs around the country every year for eye injuries suffered while at work, 40% of those individuals work in just three industries: construction, manufacturing, and mining.
This statistic is important for New Yorkers because there are roughly 224,500 people employed in construction and another 100,000 employed in manufacturing. Add those two figures together and it accounts for roughly 4% of all private sector employees within City limits. The very nature of these types of work increases the risk of traumatic eye injury and associated vision loss. Flying debris, hazardous chemicals, improper safety equipment, and burns cause the majority of eye injuries and often employee or employer negligence plays a part.
CDC statistics show that the most common causes of job-related eye injury in New York City include:
•· Metal slivers, wood chips, dust, and cement chips ejected by tools, wind-blown, or falling from above
•· Large objects which strike the eye or face causing blunt force trauma to the eyeball or orbit (eye socket)
•· Chemical burns from splashed industrial chemicals or cleaning products
•· UV radiation burns (called welder’s flash common in welder’s apprentices, and even those simply too close to the arc)
Vision loss is very traumatic to an individual and their family. Whether the injured individual is left completely blind or only partially, the damage can make everyday tasks like driving, commuting, even walking up or down stairs nearly impossible. Such restructuring has significant costs associated with it as well as costs which private and/or workers compensation insurance may not cover.
If you or a loved one has been injured at work and has suffered full or partial vision loss because of a third party’s neglect, contact a New York vision loss attorney immediately Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.