Abstract
Purpose: :
Evaluate the demographics, patterns of protective eye wear use, and patterns of eye injury of ophthalmology patients seen at the Nepalese Hetauda Community Eye Hospital in order to better serve and educate the population.
Methods: :
15-question surveys were administered to factory workers receiving eye exams at four different job sites in Hetauda, Nepal, between September 2010 and October 2010. Surveys were administered in Nepali by ophthalmologists and trained staff. Visual acuity for both eyes was recorded at the time of examination using a Snellen chart at 20 feet. Data was analyzed using a two-tailed t test for comparison of continuous variables and a chi-squared test for categorical variable comparison using p = 0.05 for significance.
Results: :
433 surveys were collected. 95.8% (415) of the population surveyed was male and 4.2% (18) was female. The average age of patients was 30.6 years ± 16.73 (range, 16,73). The average number of months of factor work was 60.4 ± 60.95 (range, 1, 300). 43.50% (197) reported experiencing a work-related eye injury. There was a strong positive correlation between duration of factory work and number of injuries (R2 = 0.0344, correlation coefficient = 0.85). Of the 433 patients surveyed, only 98 (22.6%) reported wearing safety eye wear at all times during work. Of the patients with injuries, only 57.87% (114) reported wearing safety goggles at the time of injury, and only 72.59% (143) sought treatment immediately after injury. 87.76% (380) of the patients had received some level of education, with a majority (77.89%, n = 196) obtaining some secondary schooling or better. There was no significant difference between the patients’ education and willingness to wear glasses (chi-square = 0.64, df = 1, p = 0.80) or to seek help after injury (chi-square = 0.46, df = 1, p = 0.50).
Conclusions: :
The population studied demonstrates a significant level of work related injury that could potentially be prevented through the proper use of eye safety wear. The reported 57.87% of study participants who reported wearing safety goggles at the time of injury is likely inflated. Possible explanations include white coat anxiety and misinterpretation of the survey question. As outreach teams continue to design educational sessions and safety eye wear administration, the findings of this study will assist in a more effective use of resources.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence