1.Factors Causing Ocular Injuries among Workers in Construction Industry in Malaysia
Priscilla Thomas ; Mohd Zaki Awg Isa
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2020;16(No.4):186-191
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-sectional 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%), subconjunctival 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<0.05). Conclusion: This study shows high prevalence of ocular
injuries among construction workers in Klang Valley. The main factors causing ocular injuries are environmental
factors. Thus, safety assessments including usage of PPE, training and closed monitoring are required to improve the
eye safety and health at the construction sites.
2.Patterns of Visual Field Defects in Malay Population with Myopic Eyes
Rab&rsquo ; ie Rusdi ; Mohd Zaki Awg Isa
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2020;16(Supp 1,January):101-105
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). Conclusions: 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.