DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS
<p>Background. In the article we described the condition of miners vision before they started working in the mine and after twenty years of continuous work in the pit. We presumed that working in the dark and uncomfortable conditions distort the vision. We found no similar analysis in the lite...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Slovenian Medical Association
2002-12-01
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| Series: | Zdravniški Vestnik |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/1754 |
| _version_ | 1819210059019714560 |
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| author | Uroš Prelesnik Pavli Vidic-Černuta |
| author_facet | Uroš Prelesnik Pavli Vidic-Černuta |
| author_sort | Uroš Prelesnik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Background. In the article we described the condition of miners vision before they started working in the mine and after twenty years of continuous work in the pit. We presumed that working in the dark and uncomfortable conditions distort the vision. We found no similar analysis in the literature that was available to us. So we started with the analysis in our institution. As ophthalmologist and specialist of occupational medicine we daily came across miners questions and findings about the distortion of their vision after working in the pit for many years. Criteria of visual functions for the miners are: visual acuity of the better eye should be at least 0.7 and at least 0.5 of the worse one, without correction. He has to have normal binocular vision and normal night vision. Normal colour vision is not obligatory for the miners which allows the dicromats (colour blind people) to work, too.</p><p>Methods. We treated 50 miners who started to work in the mine in the years 1977–1979 and have spent their whole working period in the mine. We had a lot of problems choosing the miners because of fluctuation (superannuations, leaving Slovenia), so they did not come to ophthalmologist at the end of their working period. In our dispensary of occupational medicine they were last treated the last year before retiring, while the ophthalmologist examined them in the years 1997–1999. In our dispensary of occupational medicine they were examined by the orthoreter or R 22 where monocular vision, binocular vision, depth vision and colour vision were checked.</p><p>The ophthalmologist examined the vision without and with correction, measured the eye pressure, performed the examination on the slitlamp and checked the eye background.</p><p>Results. The check-ups in dispensary of occupational with examinations of vision, phoria, depth vision and colour vision showed no statistically important differences. But when we checked the patients in the ophthalmologic ambulance we found out that there were some changes between their first examination and then after twenty years work in the coal mine. We found no significant changes at IOP measurements and examination with slitlamp, but came across statistically important changes when checking the eye background.</p><p>Conclusions. After the analysis of the results we ascertained that the work in coal mine probably does not distort the vision. Even if the work lasted for many years the vision of the miners was not changed because of it. The changes that we acknowledged were the result of other reasons (age, diabetes mellitus, hiperthony).<br /><br /></p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T06:05:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e1147a80a6649ad89510774af803408 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1318-0347 1581-0224 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T06:05:09Z |
| publishDate | 2002-12-01 |
| publisher | Slovenian Medical Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zdravniški Vestnik |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e1147a80a6649ad89510774af8034082022-12-21T17:57:34ZengSlovenian Medical AssociationZdravniški Vestnik1318-03471581-02242002-12-017101263DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONSUroš Prelesnik0Pavli Vidic-Černuta1Zdravstveni dom Trbovlje Rudarska 12 1420 TrbovljeZdravstveni dom Trbovlje Rudarska 12 1420 Trbovlje<p>Background. In the article we described the condition of miners vision before they started working in the mine and after twenty years of continuous work in the pit. We presumed that working in the dark and uncomfortable conditions distort the vision. We found no similar analysis in the literature that was available to us. So we started with the analysis in our institution. As ophthalmologist and specialist of occupational medicine we daily came across miners questions and findings about the distortion of their vision after working in the pit for many years. Criteria of visual functions for the miners are: visual acuity of the better eye should be at least 0.7 and at least 0.5 of the worse one, without correction. He has to have normal binocular vision and normal night vision. Normal colour vision is not obligatory for the miners which allows the dicromats (colour blind people) to work, too.</p><p>Methods. We treated 50 miners who started to work in the mine in the years 1977–1979 and have spent their whole working period in the mine. We had a lot of problems choosing the miners because of fluctuation (superannuations, leaving Slovenia), so they did not come to ophthalmologist at the end of their working period. In our dispensary of occupational medicine they were last treated the last year before retiring, while the ophthalmologist examined them in the years 1997–1999. In our dispensary of occupational medicine they were examined by the orthoreter or R 22 where monocular vision, binocular vision, depth vision and colour vision were checked.</p><p>The ophthalmologist examined the vision without and with correction, measured the eye pressure, performed the examination on the slitlamp and checked the eye background.</p><p>Results. The check-ups in dispensary of occupational with examinations of vision, phoria, depth vision and colour vision showed no statistically important differences. But when we checked the patients in the ophthalmologic ambulance we found out that there were some changes between their first examination and then after twenty years work in the coal mine. We found no significant changes at IOP measurements and examination with slitlamp, but came across statistically important changes when checking the eye background.</p><p>Conclusions. After the analysis of the results we ascertained that the work in coal mine probably does not distort the vision. Even if the work lasted for many years the vision of the miners was not changed because of it. The changes that we acknowledged were the result of other reasons (age, diabetes mellitus, hiperthony).<br /><br /></p>http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/1754minersorthoretereyevision functionsdistortion of visionR 22 |
| spellingShingle | Uroš Prelesnik Pavli Vidic-Černuta DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS Zdravniški Vestnik miners orthoreter eyevision functions distortion of vision R 22 |
| title | DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS |
| title_full | DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS |
| title_fullStr | DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS |
| title_full_unstemmed | DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS |
| title_short | DOES WORKING IN A COAL MINE INFLUENCE EYE AND VISION FUNCTIONS |
| title_sort | does working in a coal mine influence eye and vision functions |
| topic | miners orthoreter eyevision functions distortion of vision R 22 |
| url | http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/1754 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT urosprelesnik doesworkinginacoalmineinfluenceeyeandvisionfunctions AT pavlividiccernuta doesworkinginacoalmineinfluenceeyeandvisionfunctions |