Letters | Keep goal of ensuring eye health in the workplace in plain sight

Readers discuss challenges to ensuring healthy vision on World Sight Day, and a Nobel laureate’s inspiring journey

Wellness

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 12 Oct 2023

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Maintaining healthy vision is vital to workplace safety, productivity and overall well-being. Unfortunately, work-related visual impairments affect around 13 million workers globally, leading to decreased productivity and potential threats to their long-term health and well-being.

Poor eye health not only affects individuals but also has a significant impact on the global economy. According to the Lancet Global Health Commission, US$411 billion is lost annually in productivity.

This year, World Sight Day focuses on eye health in the workplace, aiming to raise awareness among employers about their employees’ eye health.

The Fred Hollows Foundation has been providing accessible and affordable eye care services to those in need around the world. In Bangladesh, where the garment industry employs over 4 million people, most of them women, there are significant challenges around eye health and productivity. Women in this industry spend a great deal of time threading needles, repetitive and intricate work that often leads to vision problems. Visual impairments and eye strain rank among the top health issues experienced by garment factory workers.

Unfortunately, most workers lack access to basic eye health services, and financial constraints prevent them from getting their eyes checked. To address this, The Fred Hollows Foundation established visual detection corners in garment factories. Additionally, in partnership with the Awaj Foundation in Bangladesh, eye screening was set up near the factories at special cafes which offer free or affordable services outside work hours, benefiting over 255,000 garment workers in Dhaka and Chittagong. Doctors and nurses receive training in eye health and have access to specialised equipment for screening workers’ eyes at the cafes.

Employers can play a crucial role in supporting eye health in the workplace. We need the collective effort of governments, the private sector and organisations like ours to drive positive change for the advancement of vision health.

In Hong Kong and throughout the world, we encourage employers to prioritise the sight of their staff, for example, providing access to regular eye check-ups and affordable treatment, promoting use of protective eyewear, ensuring proper lighting conditions, encouraging breaks from screens and maintaining a safe working environment.

Employees should also take care of their sight by avoiding excessive screen time and following the 20-20-20 rule, which means taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look 20 feet away.

Laura Lee, chief representative, The Fred Hollows Foundation Hong Kong and Asean

Nobel Prize winner in medicine exemplifies perseverance

In early October, we were enormously inspired by the remarkable journey of Katalin Kariko, the co-winner of the this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her groundbreaking work on mRNA. Her story might encourage aspiring scientists, highlighting the power of intrinsic drive, resilience and persistence in overcoming adversity.

Hungarian-born Kariko’s path to success was far from smooth. In her 40s, she found herself demoted from her position at a US university, battling cancer and grappling with repeated rejections of her grant proposals.

Kariko’s story epitomises the importance of resilience. Repeatedly rejected and overlooked, she refused to abandon her goals, exemplifying the spirit of perseverance necessary for true breakthroughs.

Her journey also highlights the importance of supportive environments. It was through collaboration with her fellow scientist Drew Weissman, who was awarded the Nobel Prize with her, and others that she was able to bring her ideas to fruition. Her achievement is a reminder of the importance of fostering environments that encourage risk-taking, innovation and the pursuit of knowledge.

Kariko’s story would resonate with anyone who has faced adversity in their own pursuits. It reminds us that the path to success is seldom linear, but is rather a product of passion, resilience and unwavering determination.

Dr Yuehai Xiao, Jingyi He and Tianyu Zhang, Hunan Normal University, Changsha

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