Ocular Health Assessment Of Workers In Various Chemical And Pharmaceutical Industries

Workersworkinginchemicalindustryareexposedtothousandsofchemical.Someofthesechemicalshaveadirecteffectoneyeandocularhealthandcancauseocularproblems.Sothisstudyaimedtodeterminetheocularexposuretochemicalsindifferentchemical/pharmaceuticalindustries.METHODS:Aclinicalexaminationwasaccompaniedbyadetailedoccupationalhistory.Theexaminationoftechnicalworkersincludesvisualacuity,colorvision,torchlightandslitlampexamination,stereopsis,dryeyeconditions,fundusevaluation,objectiveandsubjectiverefractionandvisualfieldtesting.RESULTS:Total203workerswereincludedinstudyfromdifferentchemical/pharmaceuticalindustries.Therewasagreaterprevalenceofanteriorsegmentdisorders(40%)overposteriorsegmentdiseases(2%)withinexposedareas.40%workershadanteriorsegmentdiseasesandoutofthis,prevalenceofcataractis74%,whichishigherthananyotheranteriorsegmentdiseases.86%workerswerenotusinganykindofPPEduringtheirwork.69%workersexperienceddryeyesinbotheyeand58%workershadreducedstereopsis.CONCLUSION:Workersexposedtochemicalsdevelopedmoreanteriorsegmentdisorderse.g.dryeye,allergicconjunctivitis,cataractetc.Almostallofoccupationaleyedisordersaremoreeasilypreventedthantreated.Severalpreventivemeasuresarenowavailable.Withsuchpreventivemeasuresreadilyavailable,bothemployersandemployeesmustworkaggressivelytodecreasethenumberofworkersaffectedwithanoccupationaleyedisorders.Thereisanintenseneedofperiodicindustrialvisionscreening,sooccupationalrelatedeyediseasescanbeeasilypreventedandearlydetected.Easyprevention&earlydetectioncansaveworker’seyesandvision.