Jim: Worksite Eye Emergency

I am a construction worker. I was drilling into the concrete deck above me when the concrete spalled – there was concrete and metal reinforcement everywhere.

I lost my balance, fell from ladder, and realized I was having vision issues. I drove myself to the nearest hospital to get checked out and found that I had micro-particles of metal embedded in my left eye.

Outcome? I lost 30% of vision in my left eye. The bright side is that my right eye has compensated for the imbalance and I still have 10/20 vision.

This occurred in 2010, and I was wearing full safety gear: wrap goggles and a face shield.

Just goes to show you that even when you prepare and protect yourself for a task at hand, accidents can, and still do happen. I realize this isn’t a life or death tale, but it sure can be a teachable moment. The doctor told me that if the metal fragments had been a millimeter towards my cornea, I would have lost all my vision. Thanks for reading!