Ocular findings among foundry workers

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out on 75 workers in a foundy in Zagazig city, Sharkia governorate and on a control group of 20 subjects in the administration section in the same foundary. The study revealed that there was a higher prevalence of conjunctival pigmentation [40 percent], cojunctival irritation [28 percent], pinguecula [20 percent] and pterygium [33.3 percent] among exposed workers than in their corneal group [5 percent, 15 percent, 10 percent and 10 percent, respectively]. Also, control foreign bodies, corneal opacities and lenticular changes were of a higher prevalence among exposed workers [5.3 percent, 20 percent and 6.7 percent respectively] than in non-exposed subjects [0 percent, 5 percent and 0 percent, respectively]. The duration of exposure is considered as a risk factor in prevalence of ocular hazards