Search

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.