A survey of eye trauma and diseases at a teaching hospital: Implications for training in occupational ophthalmology in Nigeria

Abstract

This study explores the amount of occupational ophthalmology that it is possible to encounter within an existing teaching hospital system, as this offers the primary training facilities for resident doctors who expect to specialize in occupational medicine. The study was based on an analysis of ophthalmology patient records available at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, which is Nigeria's largest teaching hospital. One thousand, three hundred and thirty-four patients with eye disease were seen during the 1-year study. Of these, 1052 (78.9%) did not have their occupations recorded. Accidents were the only occupational diagnoses recorded, and this occurred in 75 (5.6%) of cases. The findings indicate that doctors who train in this specialty should gain experience in industries that have sizeable occupational health services, in addition to their formal ophthalmology training, in order to acquire experience in primary and occupational eye care. It is suggested that greater emphasis be placed on occupational ophthalmology in teaching hospitals and that there is a general improvement in completing patients' records: in particular, a patient's occupation should be recorded.