OCULAR HEALTH AMONG COCOA FARMERS AT MFUOM IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF GHANA

ABSTRACT Agricultural work is one of the riskiest occupations for the eye due to high level of exposure to hazards. However, most often the needs of such workers especially in developing countries such as Ghana are not met as a result of inadequate infrastructure and health professionals. A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out to evaluate the ocular health status, working conditions and perception of safety among 185 cocoa farmers at Mfuom. A structured questionnaire was used for the survey and a comprehensive eye examination was conducted. Of the 185 cocoa farmers, 68% were males and the rest females. The ages of the respondents ranged between 19 and 70 years with a mean age of 52.7 (SD= 11.7). About 37% had spent 5 to 9 years in farming with 12% spending more than 30 years. Disease conditions were observed among 58% of the farmers. The anterior segment eye diseases diagnosed were mainly conjunctivitis (13%), Pterygium (2.7%) and cornea opacity (2.2%). Major posterior segment diseases diagnosed were cataract (20.0%), glaucoma (11.7%) and hypertensive retinopathy (2.7%). Refractive conditions were identified in 41.1% of the participants. Weeding recorded the highest incidence (40.5%) of injury followed by spraying of chemicals (10.8%) and pruning (9.7%). Spraying of chemicals recorded the highest use of goggles (25.4%) among the farmers. The data suggests that cocoa farmers have high level of vision problems but make insufficient use of proper medical care. It is therefore recommended that cocoa farmers are educated on ocular health and safety and use of protective eye wear.