Evidence suggests that high exposure to the hazards is among the most important factors causing ocular injuries and visual problems at the workplace. Individual studies show variations in prevalence, but high prevalence is reported in Asian countries. Very little is currently known about ocular injuries and visual problems of workers in construction industries in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the factors causing the ocular injuries and visual problems of the construction workers. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study using purposive sampling method on 385 (770 eyes) workers. The comprehensive ocular assessment was done by using Reichert Portable Slit Lamp and a questionnaire was designed to ascertain the environmental hazards and behavior factors. Out of 770 eyes examined, 42.5% (n=327 eyes) had ocular injuries. The chemical, tools and dust exposures were among the major causes of ocular injuries and visual problems to the construction workers. There were significant differences found between the occurrence of ocular injuries to chemical (p=0.002), tools (p=0.005) and dust exposure (p=0.050). Poor knowledge on personal protective eyeglasses (PPE) (62.9%, n=242), low compliancy to wearing PPE (48.3%, n=186) and poor awareness on the environmental ocular hazards (47.0%, n=181) were observed. Our finding indicates that high prevalence of ocular injuries among construction workers, and the need to improve on the awareness, closed monitoring of occupational safety and health and identification for visual rehabilitation and return to work program
Introduction: Myopia is an emerging vision problem that causes public health and economic burden worldwide and associated with increased risk to many ocular conditions leading to blindness. This study aimed to evaluate patterns of visual field defects in Malay population with myopia. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between January 2018 until June 2018 at MSU Eye Centre and data was obtained from patient records of Malay subjects with myopia and free from any ocular and systemic diseases. The spherical equivalent (SE) of the refractive errors and the global indices (mean deviation, MD and pattern of standard deviation, PSD) of OCULUS Twinfield® 2 with SPARK strategy were recorded for this study. Results: A total of 90 eyes with the mean age of 29.16 (SD: 10.27) years old and SE (M= -2.92 D, SD:2.94 D) were selected. The mean of MD was -1.71 dB (SD 3.95 dB) and PSD was 1.81 dB (SD:1.82 dB) respectively. Significant differences was found in MD (p=0.012) and PSD (p=0.01) between the three groups. The localised field defect was observed in the moderate to high myopic eyes in all quadrants (p=0.01) for PP2, and also more prevalent pattern found in all quadrants for PP1 except at superior quadrant (p=0.08). Conclu- sions: There is a localised visual field defect found in a higher degree of myopia particularly at temporal, nasal and inferior quadrants. Thus, the visual field test is recommended as a routine procedure in moderate to high myopic eyes and need to be interpreted with caution.
Colour vision assessment in low vision children remains as a big challenge to clinician. The current available colour vision (CV) tests are not friendly administered to low vision (LV) children and CV test is not part of vision screening in school children. This study was conducted to pilot a new way of assessing LV children’s colour status. A modified technique was compared to the standard of AO HRR (American Optical Hardy Rand Rittler) and D15 (Farnsworth D15) colour vision tests available in the market. A total of 15 subjects were participated in this study with the (Mean age: 10.0; SD: 2.204) with majority of (46.7%) age range of 7-9 years old. A total of 100% of the subjects participated accordingly to the instruction given and the examination were continue to assess throughout the data collection. Out of 15 students, 80% (n=12) students shows positive outcome for modified method under psychological characteristics control. Out of 12 students, 100% of students (n=12), fixate their eyes while testing both the standard and modified AO HRR, 60% (n=7) were happy with standard method, 73.3% (n=9) were happy with modified method, and 53.3% (n=6) answered correctly to standard method and 66.7% (n=8) to modified AO HRR testing method. 93.3% students (n=11), fixate their eyes while testing standard D15 method, and 100% (n=12) fixate in modified method. 80% (n=10) were happy with standard method, 73.3% (n=9) were happy with modified method, and 67.7% (n=8) answered correctly for both standard and modified D15 testing method. Using Child Affective Facial Expression (CAFÉ) set, the low vision children’s expression were assessed. The psychological characteristics of AO HRR and Farnsworth D15 for standard and modified colour vision testing method is p = 0.003 and p = 0.007 respectively. Both the testing method shows a significant relationship with no difference, but low vision children’s psychological characteristics is much controlled in modified testing method.
Myopia is a global issue and significantly contributed to vision loss and ocular complications affected more than 1 billion people worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate visual field defects in association with the level of myopia degree. A retrospective study was conducted at MSU Eye Centre where the data of OCULUS Twinfield® 2 test from May 2015 to April 2018 were analysed. The global indices (mean deviation, MD, pattern standard deviation, PSD and probability plots) and spherical equivalent were used as parameters of this study. A total of 90 records comprising of 44.4% (40) of males and 55.6% (50) females with the mean age of 29.16 (SD: 10.27) years old and the spherical equivalent was -2.92 (SD:2.94) of the emmetrope, moderate and high myopia. The mean MD index was -1.71 dB (SD 3.95 dB) and PSD was 1.81 dB (SD:1.82 dB) respectively. There is a significant difference between emmetrope, moderate and high myope of MD (X2(2)=8.892, p=0.012) and PSD (X2(2) =42.057, p
Introduction: Safety establishments at the workplace play a vital part in preventing ocular injuries in construction industries. Ocular injuries worsens the quality of life of workers, leading to economic loss. The arising of ocular injuries at emergency departments trigger a public health concern in Malaysia. This study aimed to investigate the factors causing ocular injuries among construction workers in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-section- al study was conducted on construction workers in Klang Valley, Malaysia. A validated questionnaire evaluated factors consisting of environmental, behaviour and practice domains (α= 0.70 – 0.90) and Reichert Portable Slit Lamp assessed ocular injuries. Results: A total of 385 workers aged 18 to 65 years old completed the study. The prevalence of ocular injuries was 66.20% (n=255 eyes) which includes foreign body injuries (28.20%), subconjunc- tival haemorrhage (9.20%), corneal haze (4.75%), laceration (1.78%), corneal burn (1.18%) and traumatic cataract (0.29%). Environmental hazards such as dust 70.40% (n=271, p=0.00), chemical 75.80% ( n= 292, p=0.00), heat 68.10% (n=262, p=0.00), equipment 60.5% (n=233, p=0.00), fall 54.80% (n=211, p=0.00) and limited working space 52.70% (n=203, p=0.00) significantly contributed to the ocular injuries. However, behaviour and awareness did not contribute significantly to ocular injuries (p
Abnormal intraocular pressure (IOP) if left untreated it can lead to glaucoma and permanent vision loss. However, the correlation between IOP and body weight status, sodium intake, and blood pressure (BP) are unclear among adolescents. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between body weight status, sodium intake, and BP with IOP among orang Asli adolescents. A total sample of 50 adolescents of Orang Asli aged 13 to 17 participated in this study. Three days' dietary intake was recorded through 24-hour diet recall to determine the sodium intake. The questionnaire was administered to acquire socio-demographic information, and measurements Body Mass Index (BMI) and BP were done according to standard protocols, and IOP was measured using Tonopen. Data obtained involving 40% boys and 60% girls. Two boys (4%) were underweight, 13 boys (26%) and 17 (34%) girls were normal weight, 4 (8%) boys and 11 (22%) girls were overweight, 1 (2%) boy and 2 (4%) girls were obese. Sixty percent of subjects have exceeded the Lowest-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (LOAEL) of 2300 mg of sodium intake. Hypertension stage 1 was found higher than hypertension stage 2 in male and female subjects, with 38% of the female have stage 1 hypertension compared to only 14% in male subjects. 98% of subjects have normal IOP and only 2% of subjects have high IOP. There was a significant association between BMI and IOP (p
The importance of vitamin A and Zinc has been a major concern due to their deficiency among children. This research aimed to investigate the association of vitamin A and zinc intake with visual acuity among Orang Asli children in Semenyih, Selangor. The total subjects involved were 94, consisting of boys, and girls aged 8-12 years old. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to determine the level of vitamin A and zinc intake. A Bailey-lovie chart test was used to determine the visual acuity. Vitamin A intake was highest among boys aged 8-9 years old (720 ± 324 mg). The mean intake of zinc, was lowest among boys aged 10-12 years old (4.42 ± 1.00 mg) and highest among girls aged 8-9 years old (5.04 ± 1.14 mg). The prevalence of abnormal visual acuity was 24%, which was equivalent to 23 subjects from the overall sample, consisting of boys and girls with a value of 0.50 Dioptric spherical equivalence (DSE). Findings from the research show that vitamin A and Zinc intake have a significant association with Visual acuity (p
This study aims to investigate a visual status and prevalence of visual problems in relation to eye safety and health amongst
visual display terminal (VDT) users in industries. A visual profile questionnaire (VPQ) and visual tests were conducted on workers
from 9 type of industries aged 20 to 60 years old in between October 2015 and June 2016. Workers with a history of exposure to VDT
more than 2 hours a day were used as a baseline for recruitment. Respondents who did not complete the visual profile questionnaires
(VPQ) and visual tests were excluded from the study. A total of 1214 respondents with mean aged of 39.33 ± 9.80 years have completed
the study. Most respondents show moderate to high in vision problems in related to VDT, low knowledge on visual hazards and policy
in relation to eye safety and health at the workplace and high percentage of not getting proper eye tests while serving their industries.
Visual Profile (VP) is needed as a key indicator to profile eye safety measures and the need for policy to help prevent eye problems and
improve employees’ productivity at workplace.
Workers in manufacturing industries are highly exposed to visual hazards which lead to visual dysfunctions or eye injuries while performing their tasks at the workplace. This article aims to describe vision problems, visual hazards and eye occupational safety and health among workers in manufacturing industries in Selangor, Malaysia. A self-administered Visual Profile Questionnaires (VPQ) was distributed to 1522 workers from manufacturing industries aged between 20-60 years during a vision screening program. Vision screening was conducted using Snellen standard visual acuity test at 6 meter following full eye examination by qualified optometrists. A total of 1214 (959 Male, 255, Female) participants with mean aged of 39.33 ± 9.80 years completed the study. Blurred vision (55.4%), reading a small print (38%), visual fatigue or visual strain (36.7%), dry eyes (34.4%) and Itchiness (33.4%) are among the major eye problems. Meanwhile, smoke/dust (55.8%), chemical (30.2%) and eye injuries (20.4%) are the major visual hazards experienced by the workers. More than 72% of workers did not get proper eye tests, not wear eye protection shield and had a poor knowledge on visual hazards while performing their job at the workplace. Regular eye examination, assessment and policy on the eye related occupational safety and health are needed to be established for manufacturing industries to help prevent eye problems and improve employees’ productivity at the workplace.
This study aims to determine the refractive error status of Orang Asli children and Malay-Jawa children in Kuala Langat, Selangor. Visual acuity was measured using LEA chart, followed by dry static retinoscopy which the testing eye fogged with 2.00D, and the contralateral eye fogged with 6.00D to determine the refractive errors. The inclusion criteria encompassed all children in the selected village. The exclusion criteria included children who were already on ophthalmology follow-up for known ocular conditions and refused visual acuity assessment or eye examination. In total, 103 ‘Orang Asli’ and 107 normal population children aged 3 to 13 years received refractive assessments. Approximately 18% of reported cases were myopia, 43% were hyperopia, while 39% were emmetropia. Results showed that the ‘Orang Asli’ population was more hyperopic than the Malay-Jawa (U = 4893.500, P > 0.05, r = 0.14). However, both groups were found more hyperopic compared to myopic conditions. In conclusion, both Orang Asli and Malay-Jawa in Kuala Langat, Selangor are more hyperopic and less myopic. This study suggests that refractive error screening is important for preventing visual impairment among children in rural areas.
Introduction: Dry eye syndrome (DES) is an ocular condition characterized in decreasing of Tears Break-up Time (TBUT) leads to ocular irritation and loss of cornea integrity. Lubricants are the first-line treatment for various causes of ocular irritation, particularly dry eye. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Systane Hydration Lubricant (SHL) Eye Drops and Optive Fusion Lubricant (OFL) Eye Drops, the over-the-counter (OTC) artificial tears in treating DES. Materials and Methods: Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and TBUT assessment (pre-treatment) were used to determine DES of the subject prior to their involvement in the study. The subjects then divided into two groups which were prescribed with either SHL or OFL. All subjects were instructed to instill two drops of eye drops twice a day for a duration of one week, after which the TBUT (post-treatment) was re-assessed again. Results: A total of forty (40) eyes involved in this study with the mean age was 22.65 (SD: 3.09) years old, OSDI was 29.91 (SD:19.75) and TBUT (pre-treatment) was 3.35 (SD:1.03) second and TBUT (post treatment) was 4.18 (SD0.98) second respectively. There was no significant difference in TBUT (post-treatment) between SHL and OFL Eye Drops (U = 181, p = 0.58). However, a significant difference was found between pre-treatment TBUT and post-treatment TBUT in both groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Systane Hydration Lubricant Eye Drops and Optive Fusion Lubricant Eye Drops are equally effective in treating DES by improving the TBUT among the subjects. Therefore, optometrists are recommended to prescribe OTC artificial tears to patients with DES.
The composition of ophthalmic preparation is administered topically to the eye in the form of a solution, suspension, ointment, gel or foam for the purpose of treating eye disease. Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) has been one of the desired ingredients of choice, as its benefits as functional food oil is known among the public. The uniqueness of coconut oil is its fats and oils that contain the highest percentage of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), which have antimicrobial properties, such as lauric acid and capric acid. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of eye drop containing a different VCO concentration using the Kirby-Bauer test. The formulation of eye drop had 1.5%, 2% and 3% amount of virgin coconut oil, which was later added with all basic materials needed for eye drop. The samples were evaluated for its zone of inhibition (ZOI). The antimicrobial effects of eye drop formulation that contains 3% of VCO (F3) against Streptococcus pneumonia were similar with all control products (Eye Glo, Pred Forte, Cationorm), and antimicrobial effects of F3 against Staphylococcus aureus are better than Cationorm. It is noticeable that the higher the VCO content in the formulation, the better the antimicrobial effects of the eye drop. In conclusion, VCO possesses moisture, anti-inflammation, better anti-microbial properties, and it could be further formulated as a stable eye drop emulsion.