An estimated 13 million people live with vision impairment linked to their occupations, say the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
GENEVA (ILO News) – More needs to be done to protect workers’ eye health, says a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
According to Eye Health and the World of Work , 13 million people live with vision impairment linked to their work, with an estimated 3.5 million eye injuries occurring in the workplace every year. This amounts to 1 per cent of all non-fatal occupational injuries.
Eye health significantly affects labour markets: workers with vision impairment are 30 per cent less likely to be employed, compared to those without. Economic development plays a significant role in the prevalence of vision impairment, with low- and middle-income regions experiencing about four times more cases than high-income regions.
More than 90 per cent of vision impairment cases are either preventable or treatable through existing, highly cost-effective interventions, emphasizes the study. This underscores the need for coordinated global, national, and workplace initiatives to protect workers’ well-being, since eye health is an integral part of workers’ health.
