Work related eye injuries: Epidemiology in a tertiary care eye hospital of South India

Abstract

Background: Work related eye injuries are one of the common causes for preventable vision loss. The aim of the study was to analyse the epidemiological characteristics of work related eye injury in a tertiary care eye hospital in South India. Methodology: This prospective observational study included all patients who reported to ophthalmic outpatient department with work related eye injury during the study period. Results: Out of the 416 patients, majority were males. The injuries were common in younger age group. Metal welding and grinding, and agriculture were the high risk occupations for work related eye injuries. Corneal foreign body was the most common type of eye injury noted. Most of the patients were not using protective eye gear at the time of injury. About 7.2% of the patients had previous history of eye injury at work place. Conclusion: As work related eye injury is common in younger age group early intervention is required in order to avoid permanent visual impairment. Specific interventional programmes should be considered as these workers are prone for recurrent eye injuries. There is a need for more effective preventive measures, especially in metal work, agriculture and carpentry, where increased frequency and worst prognoses of injuries were observed.