Occupational Eye Trauma: a major public health issue in Rabat, Morocco

Abstract

Abstract Occupational eye trauma is a global cause of visual morbidity. According to the WHO, 55 million ocular lesions occur each year, and 1.6 million cases of total blindness caused by trauma. Although common in Morocco, these traumas have not been the subject of recent and targeted investigations. The objective of our work is to evaluate the frequency of occupational eye trauma per projectile, and to encourage the reinforcement of safety measures. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out in the Ophthalmic Emergency Department, at the University Hospital of Rabat, Morocco, and including all patients who presented to the same doctor’s consultation, between December 2016 and December 2018. The study involved 914 patients, 406 women and 508 men, with an average age of 36. The average consultation time is 35 days after the onset of symptomatology. In 2 years, and out of 914 people, 382 (42%) are victims of ocular trauma; and 167 are victims of projectile eye trauma during professional practice, an overall prevalence of 18%, or 51% of all trauma. The average age was 32 years, 92% of males. The average consultation time was 2 days after the accident. In addition, 75% of consultants for occupational eye trauma have a similar history of trauma, 3 out of 4 people. As a consequence, the study shows that 85% of these patients had a superficial corneal foreign body; 11% presented with a corneal ulcer without individualization of a foreign body; while 4% of these had a corneal wound, an intraocular foreign body and posttraumatic retinal detachment. Therefore, eye trauma is a real public health problem. They account for 42% of consultations, half of which are associated with professional activities, mainly affecting young and active men. If they are benign in most cases, these traumas can nevertheless cause blindness in 4%. The high number of recidivism (75%) highlights the lack of awareness of the target population for better prevention. Key messages The results of this work prove that occupational ocular trauma, avoidable circumstances, are however frequent in our context and can cause severe lesions, with a reserved prognosis. Workplaces with a high risk of eye trauma should strengthen their protective measures and training programs should be put in place for both workers and occupational physicians.