Journal of Medicine and Applied Clinical Sciences
Peer Reviewed Open Access Journal
ISSN: 3139-5120
Peer Reviewed Open Access Journal
ISSN: 3139-5120
Background: Occupational ocular surface foreign-body (OSFB) injuries are important yet largely preventable workplace eye injuries, particularly in occupations involving metal processing and particulate-generating activities. This study characterized the demographic, occupational, and clinical profile of occupational OSFB injuries and evaluated protective-eyewear practices and factors associated with protective-eyewear non-use.
Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional observational study included 130 participants presenting with occupational OSFB injuries. Demographic characteristics, occupation, work activity at injury, foreign-body material and anatomical location, presenting symptoms, protective-eyewear use, reasons for non-use, previous OSFB injury, self-removal attempts, and awareness of ocular risks were recorded. Categorical variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Associations were assessed using Pearson's χ² or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. Multivariable binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors independently associated with protective-eyewear non-use, with adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: Participants were predominantly male (123/130, 94.62%), and 68 (52.31%) worked in the metal industry. Metal grinding/cutting was the most common activity at injury (73, 56.15%). Metallic foreign bodies were predominant (77, 59.23%), with the cornea being the most frequently affected site (92, 70.77%). Ocular irritation was the most frequently reported symptom (77, 59.23%), followed by pain (65, 50.00%), redness (61, 46.92%), and watering (41, 31.54%). Only 27 participants (20.77%) reported using protective eyewear, whereas 103 (79.23%) reported no protection. Among non-users, the most common reason was PPE non-availability (36/103, 34.95%), followed by other reasons (24, 23.30%) and forgetting to wear PPE (21, 20.39%). Awareness of potential harm from self-removal was reported by 84 (64.62%) participants. PPE use was significantly associated with this awareness in bivariate analysis (29.8% vs 4.3%; χ²=10.17, p=0.001). In multivariable analysis, high-risk work activity was independently associated with PPE non-use (adjusted OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.01–4.54, p=0.047), whereas awareness was not statistically significant after adjustment (adjusted OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.26–1.08, p=0.081).
Conclusion: Occupational OSFB injuries predominantly involved male workers engaged in metal-related, particulate-generating activities, with metallic foreign bodies and corneal involvement being most common. The high prevalence of PPE non-use highlights an important preventable safety gap. Prevention should combine reliable PPE availability, hazard-specific protective eyewear, worker adherence, and targeted occupational eye-health education.
Occupational eye injury, ocular surface foreign body, protective eyewear, personal protective equipment, occupational safety, corneal foreign body, metal workers
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