The Determination of Ocular Disorders among Welders in the Southeast of Iran Download PDF

Background: Welding, a widely used industrial process, is one of the most potential sources of visible and invisible optical radiation. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of ocular disorders among welders and compare with a control population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was held in Zahedan city, the capital of Sistan-and-Baluchestan province, southeast of Iran. There were two groups including welders (96 subjects) and non-welders (114 subjects) in this research. Participants were accidentally selected through a two-stage sampling method from two strata including welders and non-welders from January to May 2016. Inclusion criteria were no history of trauma, no ocular surgery, no systemic diseases that effect eye, and no use of drug that influence eye. Quantitative variables were described by mean ± standard deviation and qualitative variables were summarized using frequency and percentage indices. Odds Ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval were employed for showing association degree. Independent two-sample t-test was used for comparison mean groups. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be significant and SPSS (ver. 16) software was used for the analysis. Results: The mean ± SD age were 41.6±10.1 and 38.6±12.6 years old for welders and non-welders, respectively (P=0.06). Prevalence of cataract (OR= 4.79) and photo-kerato-conjectivitis (OR=2.11) were significantly different between two groups. The estimated OR were 4.79 and 2.11 for having cataract and photo-kerato-conjectivitis, respectively. Dry eye (54.6%), pingueculae (49%), and Photo-kerato-conjectivitis (32.3%) were the most prevalent eye disorders among welders. Conclusions: it can be concluded that the welders should be given health related educations about the probable ocular risks of the distinct aspects of their occupation. Also the regular eye examinations and use of ophthalmic eye care services should be emphasized to all welders.