Review article
Occupational diseases of the eye
Dinko Šakić
; Opća bolnica Split
Abstract
The author describes all kinds of occupational diseases of the eye, namely: contusions, foreign bodies, perforations, burns, injuries caused by dust, steam and irritant gases, intoxications, actinic traumae, parasitic and infectious occupational diseases of the eye, and damage caused generally by overstrain and fatigue. The author sets forth his personal experience and describes cases from the neighbourhood of Split where shipbuilding yards, cement and other industrial plants are situated. He corroborates h:s views by statistics from the Ophthalmic Department of the general Hospital, Split, covering the period from 1937 to 1947. There were 3257 occupational diseases and injuries of the eye, from a total of 17988 cases treated in the period, or 18,11% of all eye patients. He emphasises that the most characteristic injuries for the regional pathology of the Split district are those in shipbuilding yards, quarries, cement and cyanamide factories. Injuries are also frequent among builders. A special disease noted in Dalmatia in 1946 and 1947 is also dealt with. This disease was noticed when a particular caterpillar (chnetocampa - pityocampa) attacked pines in great numbers along the Dalmatian littoral. Workers who were employed in removing the caterpillar nests from trees suffered eye injuries caused by fine hairs coming off from, these parasites, resulting in ophthalmia nodosa. The author concludes by asking tor protective measures or eye hygiene, especially for industrial workers, for systematic preliminary examinations and for expert advice on chaise of vocation. All these measures will contribute to protect the health o-r the workers, and raise the productivity and quality of the work.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
189430
URI
Publication date:
19.6.1950.
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