The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued an advisory to the Union and State Governments to prevent and minimise the impact of ocular trauma, which it said causes 5% of permanent blindness.
The NHRC asked the government to identify the industries that have a high potential of ocular trauma and make it mandatory for such units with 50 workers or more to have accident cover of ₹15 lakh for each worker. The commission also asked the government to set up an online portal to record details of each case of ocular trauma and make it mandatory for hospitals and medical practitioners to upload details of such cases onto the portal.
The advisory included suggestions for a public awareness campaign as well as an examination of the existing laws for mandatory use of eye safety gear worn by workers involved in hazardous activities.
