Lipika Panda1, Prafulla Chandra Mahapatra2, Kamala Kanta Sahoo3
BACKGROUND
We wanted to estimate the incidence and prevalence of ocular injuries among
occupational workers in welding and grinding industry treated in a tertiary care
hospital, determine the major types of ocular morbidities in welding and grinding
workers and identify the vulnerable age groups suffering from ocular injuries due
to welding and grinding.
METHODS
This hospital based cross-sectional study was carried out among 712 patients
having ocular injuries only for occupational workers doing welding, grinding or
polishing work. The study period was from 01 / 01 / 2018 to 30 / 06 / 2018. The
study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, Hi-Tech Medical
College and Hospital. All patients were assessed for demographic distribution,
detailed ocular evaluation and a questionnaire related to awareness about the
injuries and safety measures taken during the work.
RESULTS
During the period of study, 712 patients who had ocular injuries due to welding
and grinding work were included in the study. The mean age was 33.87 years with
a standard deviation (SD) of 9.86. There were no female workers who reported
such injuries. Most injuries were corneal foreign body (63.90 %), conjunctival
foreign body (2.81 %), conjunctivitis due to fumes (11.94 %), laceration (8.71 %)
and keratoconjunctivitis (12.64 %).
CONCLUSIONS
To complement standard epidemiological research, the narrative accident text
offers useful evidence. Staff conducting a welding job or working with local welders
should be qualified to recognise possible dangers and appropriate protective
equipment should be used to prevent eye injury.
