Oculo-Visual Findings among Industrial Mine Workers at Goldfields Ghana Limited, Tarkwa

Ocular health among industrial workers: a prevalence study of foreign body injury, refractive error, dry eye, pterygium and pingueculae

BACKGROUND

Workplaces play a critical role in developing ocular diseases, owing to the risk of accidents. This study aimed to evaluate the ocular health of industrial workers by determining the prevalence of foreign body injury, refractive error, dry eye, and pterygium/pingueculae, as well as the factors influencing these diseases.

METHODS

This study involved on-site examinations of workers from an industrial area hosting marble processing factories and metal sectors. Data such as refractive error, foreign body injury-related corneal nephelium, pterygium/pingueculae presence, and Schirmer test-assisted dry eye evaluation were all collected.

RESULTS

The average age of workers was 35.78±10.05 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 20:220. The majority of workers had completed primary school (56.3%), smoked >1 cigarette/day (57.6%), and did not use any assistive devices for bodily functions (88.3%). On average, working hours/week were 55.07±8.79, and working years were 5.99±7.00. Dry eyes were found in 31 (22%), and 35 (34%) marble and metal workers, respectively (p=0.042). 11 (7.9%) marble workers and 29 (28%) metal workers had foreign body ocular injury-related corneal nephelium (p=0.0001). Furthermore, pterygium/pingueculae were revealed in 17 marble workers (12.3%) and three metal workers (3%) (p=0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Ocular health is essential, and routine ocular health screening in industrial workers, as well as workplace safety measures, should be implemented to prevent potential occupational accidents.

Co-occurring environmental stressors have emerging impacts on sensory-motor behavior

Anthropogenic activities often lead to alterations in the natural environment via multiple routes. Simultaneous occurrence of interacting environmental perturbations may influence animals via more complex pathways than when being exposed to environmental stressors discretely. In our study, we investigated the interactive effects of poor visual environment and exposure to an environmentally realistic concentration of a common contaminant on the behavior of larval zebrafish, Danio rerio. Specifically, we tested the sensory-motor behavior of zebrafish larvae by exposing them to low-light conditions and a low concentration of Bisphenol-A (BPA) for 7 days post-fertilization. We found that zebrafish exposed to both BPA and low-light conditions had significantly weaker response to a moving-visual cue. However, those exposed to only one of these treatments did not have altered response to visual cues. Since the response to a moving, visual cue involves locomotion, we also examined the distance they traveled as a proxy for activity level of individuals across treatments. However, the distance traveled by individuals did not significantly differ across treatments, suggesting that the differences in response are linked to visual sensory pathways. Here, we emphasize that the adverse effects of environmental stressors, particularly of those that occur at environmentally relevant concentrations, may emerge only when they co-occur with another environmental stressor. These findings highlight the need to incorporate multiple environmental stressors to comprehensively assess impacts that human activities have on behavioral strategies of animals.

Correlates of Stone Quarry Workers' Awareness of Work-related Ocular Health Hazards and Utilization of Protective Eye Devices: Findings in Southeastern Nigeria

Objective:

To assess the awareness of work-related ocular health hazards and utilization of personal protective eye devices (PPEDs) among stone quarry workers in Abakaliki, southeastern Nigeria.

Materials and Methods:

In a cross-sectional survey of stone quarry industry workers in Abakiliki, conducted between March and April, 2012, data on participants' socio-demographics, job characteristics, PPED awareness, and utilization were collected. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed. For intergroup comparisons, P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

All workers were aware of the need for utilization of eye protective devices; however, 98.7% declined its use for various reasons. About 74.6% attributed nonutilization to nonavailability while 10.4% attributed it to high cost and 10.2% declined its utilization due to discomfort associated with its use.

Discussion:

Usage of PPEDs was associated with job specification, educational level, duration of work experience, awareness of work hazards, and knowledge about the purpose of PPEDs. Nonusage was associated with unavailability, high cost of procurement, and ocular discomfort from poor fitting and misty/cloudy vision with use. Users were more numerous among blasters and crushers whose jobs were most predisposed to work related accidents and workers with formal education.

Conclusions:

Findings from the study reveal high level of awareness yet nonutilization of eye protection. Barriers to the utilization of these eye protective devices should be addressed to ensure greater compliance of its use.

Knowledge and awareness of ocular allergy among undergraduate students of public universities in Ghana

BACKGROUND

Ocular allergy is a growing public health problem that greatly impacts the day-to-day life of sufferers and their families. Other aspects of their activities of daily living such as schooling, professional, and social life are affected hence an increased awareness and knowledge of ocular allergies, their detection and treatment is paramount. This study was to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of ocular allergy among undergraduate students of public universities in Ghana.

METHODS

A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted among 1000 students from three selected public universities in Ghana. Each respondent completed a questionnaire that had questions concerning awareness and knowledge of ocular allergy.

RESULTS

Out of the 1000 students, 347 (34.7 %) were aware of ocular allergy. Of these 347 students, the level of knowledge of ocular allergy was generally low. Majority of the students had their source of information about ocular allergy from the media and the internet. There was statistical significant association among awareness of ocular allergy, sources of information and programme of study (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Level of awareness among university students is generally low. Students' programmes of study influenced their knowledge of ocular allergy. Public health measures are recommended to help educate students on the prevention and control of ocular allergy as well as the complications associated with this condition.

Ocular Health and Safety Assessment among Mechanics of the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Purpose:

To conduct an ocular health and safety assessment among mechanics in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.

Methods:

This descriptive cross sectional study included 500 mechanics using multistage sampling. All participants filled a structured questionnaire on demographic data, occupational history and ocular health history. Study participants underwent determination of visual acuity (VA) using LogMAR chart, external eye examination with a handheld slit lamp biomicroscope, dilated fundus examination, applanation tonometry and refraction.

Results:

Out of 500 mechanics, 433 were examined (response rate, 87%) comprised of 408 (94.2%) male and 25 (5.8%) female subjects. The prevalence of visual impairment (i.e. presenting VA < 6/18) among the respondents was 2.1%. Eye injuries were reported in 171 (39.5%) mechanics probably due to the large number of workers, 314 (72.5%), who did not use eye protective devices. Mechanics in the auto welding category were at the highest risk of sustaining an eye injury (odds ratio [OR], 13.4; P < 0.001). Anterior segment ocular disorders were mostly pterygia while posterior segment eye disorders included glaucoma suspects and retinochoroidal lesions. The development of pterygia was associated with the number of years a mechanic stayed on the job. Eye care seeking behavior among the participants was poor.

Conclusion:

Eye injuries were prevalent among the mechanics as the use of eye protection was low. Eye safety should be made an integral part of the public health agenda in the Cape Coast Metropolis.

Symptomatic vergence disorders in junior high school children in Ghana

Background: Optometrists in Ghana are hampered in performing comprehensive binocular vision assessments, because of the lack of appropriate instruments leading to a paucity of data on vergence disorders and their association with asthenopia among Ghanaian school children.Aim: To establish the prevalence of symptomatic vergence disorders among junior high school (JHS) children in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana, in their habitual (vision) states and investigate if there were any associations between these disorders and specific asthenopic symptoms.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional school-based study using a multistage sample of 627 participants aged 12–17 years from JHSs in Cape Coast Metropolis. Participants completed a reliable asthenopic symptoms questionnaire and 220 participants who expressed two or more severe or very severe symptoms were selected for comprehensive binocular vision assessment in their habitual vision state.Results: The prevalence of symptomatic vergence disorders among JHS children in Cape Coast Metropolis was 14.8%. For specific symptomatic vergence disorders, the prevalence was: 1.4% basic esophoria, 1.4% basic exophoria, 8.6% convergence insufficiency, 1.8% convergence excess, 0.8% fusional vergence dysfunctions and 0.8% divergence excess. No participant had symptomatic divergence insufficiency. The study revealed significant associations between some specific symptomatic vergence disorders and specific asthenopic symptoms even though all of these asthenopic symptoms overlapped in other vergence disorders.Conclusion: Presenting complaints of specific asthenopic symptoms does not differentiate between specific types of vergence disorders. A comprehensive binocular vision assessment is vital in the diagnosis and management of these disorders to relieve asthenopia.

Solar ultraviolet radiation in Africa: a systematic review and critical evaluation of the health risks and use of photoprotection

The majority of the African continent experiences high solar UVB radiation throughout the year. The adverse consequences of this on the health of populations living in Africa are reviewed.