Effect Of Health Education On Ocular Health Problems Among Marble Workers At Shaq El Tho'ban Industrial Area In Egypt

To assess the effect of health education regarding health risks of marble industry, appropriate working conditions, proper usage of suitable personal protective equipment and application of preventive measures in lowering ocular occupational health problems among marble workers.

This study is based on previous cross-sectional study conducted during the period from August 2020 to September 2021 among marble workers at Shaq El Thoban area, which revealed many eye problems ; dry eye, conjunctival hyperemia, corneal opacity, pterygium, visual acuity changes and few cases of  cataract. These problems owing to work nature in dusty industry, lack of commitment of workers to safety measures and inadequate awareness of occupational health hazards.  

This study was carried out among marble workers at "Shaq El Thoban" induatrial area (the largest marble industrial agglomeration in Egypt) which  comprises 1858 factories and workshops for manufacturing and exporting marble.

So, health education interventional study was conducted among same study population in November 2021 and later on in October 2022, (taking into account changes in the working force and excluding new workers).  Total Participants included in the study were 250 and selected by simple random sampling technique; they were selected randomly using workers’ list at each workplace with proportional allocation. Eye re-examination was performed for those workers comprised of full ocular history, visual acuity testing (unaided/aided), slit lamp examination, ophthalmoscopy, and Schirmer’s type I and tear break up time tests.

Reported history of ocular foreign body and eye injuries was (35.2%) and (9.6%) respectively compared to (47.6%) and (10.8%) respectively in previous study. There was increased usage of protective eye goggles (49.2%) compared to null usage before. Ocular symptoms were identifed among 97 (38.8%) of the participants, gritty sensation and eye dryness were reported among (41.2%) and (33.2%) respectively, also eye itching was reported among (11.2%) and marked decrease was noticed in complaints of blurred vision (7.6%), and eye burning (6%).By examination, conjunctival hyperemia was detected among (47.6%).

occupational health education is an effective preventive measure and had plays a key role in decreasing ocular health problems and preventing ocular  occupational injuries and other occupational related ocularproblems which may lead to serious complications as ruptre globe or even blindness.