Out of sight: study finds vision is most critical sense for 4 in 5 adults

Cincinnati--(business wire)--seeing is believing for many adults. the results of a recent survey commissioned by cintas corporation (nasdaq: ctas), a leader in first-aid and safety programs, found that 83 percent of adults believe losing their sight would be most life-altering compared to losing their senses of hearing, smell, touch and taste. the survey was conducted online september 5-9, 2014 by harris poll among over two-thousand adults ages 18 and older. the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) reports that each day, 2,000 u.s. workers experience an eye injury that requires medical treatment.1 world sight day, observed on october 9, is an annual day of awareness for blindness and vision impairment. this year’s call to action for the event is “no more avoidable blindness” because 80 percent of visual impairment is preventable or readily treatable.2 “eye injuries occur too often in the workplace, and many can be prevented or treated by implementing an effective safety program,” said jay bruscato, vice president- first aid & safety, cintas corporation. “although the survey results are not surprising, they highlight the importance of protecting the gift of sight.” key survey findings include: older adults age 35+ (88 percent) are all more likely than those age 18-34 (70 percent) to say losing their sight would be most life-altering 70 percent of 18-34-year-olds believe losing sight would be the most life altering 92 percent of those 65 years and older believed losing sight would be the most life altering hearing is considered the second most life-altering sense for 8 percent of adults taste ranks as the most life-altering sense for 4 percent of adults touch is also the top choice for 4 percent of adults smell is considered the most life-altering sense for 2 percent of adults organizations can encourage safe work practices through safety training, personal protective equipment (ppe) and eyewash programs. eyewash stations are ideal for responding to emergency eye injuries but must be regularly inspected, pressure cleaned and refilled with fresh water so that they operate properly. these units should also be located close to the hazards that may cause eye irritation or injury. “having an on-site solution can reduce the risk of vision impairment or blindness in many cases,” added bruscato. “with a full-service eyewash program in place, employees can quickly flush particles and caustic liquids and chemicals from their eyes.” for eye safety resources for your business, download the eye safety toolbox talk at www.cintas.com/toolboxtalk. survey methodology: this survey was conducted online within the united states by harris poll on behalf of cintas from september 5-9, 2014 among 2,013 adults ages 18 and older. this online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. for complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact jess messenger at jmessenger@mulberrymc.com. about cintas headquartered in cincinnati, cintas corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout north america. cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, first aid, safety and fire protection products and services. cintas is a publicly held company traded over the nasdaq global select market under the symbol ctas and is a component of the standard & poor’s 500 index. ________________________________ 1 http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/2 http://www.iapb.org/advocacy/world-sight-day
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