evaluation of safety devices used in work-related eye injuries

purpose: to report and evaluate the characteristics of patients referred to the emergency department of labbafinejad medical center with work-related eye injuries during 2005.  methods: in this descriptive study, an available sample of patients with work-related eye injures were assessed. demographic characteristics, causes of ocular trauma, and use of work safety devices were main evaluated variables. results: overall, 99 subjects (96% male) with mean age of 31.76±10.55 years were enrolled. mean time interval between the accident and referral to eye emergency was 2.46±4.46 days (0-30 days). of these, 66.6% came to the emergency ward on the first day after the incident and 37.1% underwent an eye examination at this center for the first time. the most unsafe activities were grinding (21.4%), welding (20.4%), hammering work (14.3%) and manual work (10.2%). metal industrial (50%), constructional (17.3%) and mechanical (8.2%) workers had the highest risk for eye injury among different occupations. the major consequence of eye injuries was corneal foreign bodies (72.7%). of injured patients, only 14 persons (14.1%) had passed job safety educational courses and 93 persons (93.9%) had not used any eye protection device. conclusion: most injured patients were young men workers using no safety devices; therefore it seems that occupational safety efforts including eye protection education and training programs in this context is insufficient.