Prevalence of refractive error and attitude to spectacle use among drivers of public institutions in Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: High rate of motor vehicle accidents' have been associated with poor vision. Studies on drivers from elsewhere other than health institutions have found abnormal visual acuities. The aim of this study is to determine prevalence of refractive errors and the attitude to spectacle wear among drivers of public institutions studied. METHODS: A cross sectional population study of all 99 motor vehicle drivers from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan between December 2003 and January 2004. RESULTS: The ninety-nine motor vehicle drivers in the study comprised of 67 (67.7%) from the College of Medicine, and 32 (32.3%) from the UCH. All were males, aged 38 to 60 years, mean 50.1 +/- (SD= 4.8 years). Proportion of drivers with refractive errors was 16.7% (95% CI, 16.6-16.8) but only 56.3% of these wear glasses while driving (others did not including 3 out 4 who were bilaterally visually impaired without glasses). Relative frequency of RTA among drivers was 16.2%, the risk was marginally higher among drivers with refractive error (OR 1.2, 95% CI: 0.4-3.7). The commonest refractive error was simple hypermetropia present in 15 eyes. Hypermetropia was associated with increasing age of drivers (p<0.05). Majority (97.7%) of the drivers were presbyopic but only 32 (32.3%) were current wearers of spectacles. CONCLUSION: Refractive errors were present in 16.7% of drivers studied. But 43.8% of these (3 out 4 of whom were bilaterally visually impaired without glasses) do not wear corrective lenses while driving. There is need for periodic visual screening exercise and eye health education on drivers.

The possible role of tropical medicinal preparations in human carcinoma in Africa.

It is suggested that apart from aflatoxins, plant medicinal preparations containing active compounds imperatorin, dictamine, marmesin and heraclenin may be responsible for some human cancers in Nigeria and perhaps other parts of Africa. Therefore, in this paper, a hypothesis is put forward that these compounds or their reactive (metabolized) types may form epoxides from the 2,3-furan double bonds which may bind tissue macromolecules, DNA, RNA and protein leading to one of the vital steps of environmental carcinogenesis in mammals. This hypothesis has far reaching implications for, besides the examples given, unanalysed plant preparations are widely used in various parts of Africa within traditional methods of healing. Our observation is based on information we now have about AFB1 and is not intended to confirm the roles of double bonds in a vinyl ether system of the active compounds.