Prevalence and pattern of ocular disorders seen among artisans in Owerri, Imo State / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

ABSTRACT

AIM:To determine the pattern and prevalence of ocular disorders among artisans with a view to make recommendations to the appropriate ministries for the formulation of necessary policies to preserve the ocular health status of these artisans.METHODS:This was a descriptive cross sectional study in which the sample population was selected using the proportion to size technique and simple random sampling.RESULTS:There was a high prevalence of degenerative conjunctival disorders among the artisans with pingueculum topping the list at 30.1％.Automobile mechanics had the highest prevalence for conjunctival disorders,corneal opacities,and allergic conjunctivitis.Superficial foreign bodies (74.4％) were the most common work related injury observed while 13.6％ of the artisans developed cataract from work related injuries.CONCLUSION:Governmental policies targeted at preserving and maintaining the ocular health of the artisans is needed to reduce the prevalence of ocular disorders noted in this study.