Work-related eye injury: the main cause of ocular trauma in Iran

Abstract

Purpose: Occupational eye injuries are among the major causes of ocular trauma and can cause severe visual impairment, with even minor injuries incurring considerable financial costs due to work absenteeism. This study was designed to evaluate the epidemiology of eye trauma and the role of occupational injuries at Farabi Eye Hospital, which is the largest eye hospital in Iran.

Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, 822 eyes from 768 trauma patients presenting to Farabi Eye Hospital were enrolled in the study. The Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology System and the United States Eye Injury Registry model were adopted as the basis for the study questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed through in-person interviews and comprehensive ocular examinations.

Results: The mean age of ocular trauma patients was 31.11 years, and 685 (89.2%) patients were male. Of all eye injuries, 73.7% were work-related. Only 2.2% of the patients were wearing safety goggles at the time of injury. History of previous eye trauma was positive in 44.3% of cases. An Ocular Trauma Score 3 or more was present in 4% of patients.

Conclusions: Work-related eye trauma is the major cause of eye injury in Iran and most often occurs as a result of the lack of proper eye protection. Most work-related eye injury patients are young men.