Prevalence of Cataract, Climatic Droplet Keratopathy and Eye Lid Diseases Among Fishermen in Jazan in Saudi Arabia, and the Association of Risk Factors
Ahmed ALIBRAHIM1, Shamsul BMT1, Nasser ALSSABANI2, Yee Guan NG1, Nazri OMAR3, Faisal SHAIKH1

1 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia

2 Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, King Khaled University

3 Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Page 58 – 63   |   Vol. 1, No. 2 (2016)   |    Available online on 1 December 2016

Abstract

The fishermen in the coastal region of Jazan are subjected to long working hours in the sun where the risk for cataract, climatic droplet keratopathy (CDK) and Eyelid diseases due to solar radiation are high. The objective of this study to determine the prevalence of anterior segment eye disorders, specifically cataract, CDK and eyelid diseases among fishermen in Jazan and examination of its association with the sociodemographic and occupational among fishermen in Jazan. This study employed a cross-sectional design conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. A total of 511 fishermen were included in the study. All the respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire and subsequently undergone an eye examination. The prevalence of the cataract was found to be 3.3 %, CDK, 0.4 % and the eyelid diseases affecting 3.2 % of the respondents. A significant association was seen between the prevalence of anterior segment eye disorders (p<0.05). Overall, CDK for fishermen with less than five days of work per week was found to be 75 % while for fishermen with more than five days of work per week the CDK was found to be 25 %. The overall eyelid disease on the other hand was found in all the respondents with over five days of work per week. The overall cataract for the same group of fishermen was however 64.7 % while for fishermen with less than five days of work per week it was found to be 35.3 %. Knowledge and awareness training as well as future research are warranted to assess the health implications of fishermen in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. It is imperative for all involved to take notice of such implications on health with the government implementing regulatory frameworks that can aid these fishermen. Future research is also recommended.

Keywords

CDK, UV, eyes disorders, cataract, eyelid diseases

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by Rawaat Almaha optical company, Saudi Arabia.

© 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFEM). All rights reserved.

Recommended articles

Publish with us

Human Factors & Ergonomics Journal (HFEJ), eISSN: 2590-3705  is the official Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Malaysia.  The journal is published on a biannual basis. HFEJ aims to address current research in the field of Ergonomics in addition to the broad coverage of cognitive ergonomics, user experience, physical ergonomics and others such as transportation, industrial design and industrial engineering. HFEJ is a member of, and subscribes to the principles of the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), as such we only accept original work.