Pattern of Ocular Injuries and Use of Protective Eye Devices among Welders

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of ocular injury amongst welders in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. A crosssectional study was conducted between February and June 2007, with the aid of pre-tested questionnaires. Ocular examination was performed on all subjects. A total of 271 welders comprising 220 electric welders (81.2%) and 51 gas welders (18.8%) were seen. All subjects were males. Their ages ranged from 12 to 61 years with a mean age of 27 years + 8.49 (SD). Among the 104 welders (38.4%) who had a history of work related ocular injury, the gas welder was more likely to have a history of work-related injury 2 compared to the electric welder (x²= 13.339, df=1, p-0.000). Superficial foreign body (78.8%) was the commonest type of injury. The agents causing injury were metal chips, welder's arc ray and sand. A total of 234 welders (86.3%) used protective eye wear while 37 (13.7%) did not use. Welders should be educated on the regular use of protective eye devices in order to prevent ocular injury.