Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Original Article

Change of Visual Function and Lacrimation Among Male Near-Work Inspectors in a TV Manufacturing Plant: Seong Ah Kim, Byung Yeol Chun, Sang Woo Kim, Sang Jae Jung, Gwang Ja Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2001;13(4):436-448. Published online December 31, 2001; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2001.13.4.436

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this field-based longitudinal study was to investigate the effects of near-work on lacrimation and visual function, particularly refractive power.
METHODS
Our study tracked sixty five male workers for about three years by means of ophthalmologic examinations and questionnaires, to collect data including eye symptoms and subjective work environmental factors. Ophthalmic examinations included visual acuity, Shirmer I test, and autorefractometry. In the first year, the inclusion criteria were ages less than 40 years, no history of ophthalmic diseases, emmetropia(-1.0 RESULTS
Over a period of 32 months, spherical equivalents were decreased as much as 0.18D(diopter) for LE(left eye) and 0.18D for RE(right eye). Lacrimation by Shirmer's I test during 20 months were decreased as much as 6.57 mm/5min for LE, and 6.40 mm/5min for RE. Although more myopic-changed workers demonstrated young age(<30 years) and short work duration(<2 years), there was no significance to this correlation. Additionaly, subjective work environmental factors such as poor illumination, noise, uncomfortable air and daily use of VDT and/or TV were shown to have no significant effect. However, as for eye discomfort, which was reconstructed from several dry eye symptoms, the daily use of VDT and/or TV was a significant variable. According to a logistic regression analysis concerning the effects of refractive power, lacrimation, work duration, poor illumination, and daily use of VDT and/or TV on eye discomfort, only daily use of VDT and/or TV greater than 4 hours displayed OR of 10.5.
CONCLUSIONS
Myopic changes due to near work were not observed, however lacrimal function was changed in workers. These results suggest that we should consider various factors such as lacrimation, tear film and refraction as well as visual acuity in order to establish an eye care program among near-work performing employees.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

An automatic defect-inspection method for optical isolators using image analysis
Tian Qiu, Zhiquan Lin, Chen Jung Tsai, Chi Shing Wong, Xin Zhang, Shuaiqi Liu, Honglong Ning
at - Automatisierungstechnik.2022; 70(7): 662. CrossRef
Relationship between occupational injuries and the provision of safety and health information: data from the 4th Korean working conditions survey
Ju-il Seo, Gab-Sik Shin, Min Gi Kim, Young-Sun Min
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2018;[Epub] CrossRef

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Original Article

Analysis of Korean Analytical Quality Assurance Program for the Special Health Examination from 1995 to 1999: Seong Kyu Kang, Jeong Sun Yang, Mi Young Lee, In Jeong Park, Ho Keun Chung; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2000;12(1):139-147. Published online March 31, 2000; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2000.12.1.139

Abstract PDF

OBJECTIVE: The accuracy of analytical results of blood and urine heavy metals came out to the main issue on occupational health from late eighties. The discrepancy of the results for same samples from different laboratories made the diagnosis for occupational diseases be unreliable. Therefore, a quality control program for analysis of samples taken from workplace had been introduced in Korea since 1992. This study aims to show the quality control program f'or analysis of blood and urine samples and its proficient rates from 1992 to 1999 and to know how they have been being used in occupational health.
METHODS
The quality control program runs twice a year with mandatory items of blood lead and urine hippuvic acid and voluntary items of blood cadmium and manganese and urine mandellic acid and methyl hippuric acid. Participant laboratories are receiving three levels for each items and two out of three samples have to be qualified for being a proficient laboratory for the item. The acceptable range of blood lead and urine hippuric acid is +/-15% and that of the others is within 3 SD(standard deviation) from the reference values.
RESULTS
The proficient rates of blood lead and urine hippuric acid was 89%, 90%, repectively, however those of the other voluntary items have been from 51% to 62%. The proficient rates of urine mercury and urine N-methylformamide(NMF), which are introduced since 1999, were very poor. Urine hippuric acid and blood lead were analyzed frequently for the purpose of biological monitoring conducting by special health examination organizations. Urine and blood manganese and urine metabolites of trichloroethylene, urine phenol, methylhippuric acid and cadmium were followed.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the quality control program for biological monitoring has dramatically improve the ability of analysing blood and urine samples and eventually contributes to diagnose occupational diseases and to prevent occupational poisoning. However, some biological monitoring data, such as urine manganese, mercury and NMF, have been still reported from laboratories that were not accepted as a proficient laboratory.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

External Quality Assessment Scheme for Biological Monitoring of Occupational Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
Mi-Young Lee, Jeong Sun Yang, Seong-Kyu Kang
Safety and Health at Work.2011; 2(3): 229. CrossRef

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Original Article

Lung Function Test for Workers and its Quality Control Program: Jung Keun Choi, Mi A Son, Hyun Kyung Kim, Domyung Paek, Byung Soon Choi; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1994;6(2):187-200. Published online September 30, 1994; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1994.6.2.187

Abstract PDF: Lung function test can be influenced by technical as well as biological variables, and the quality control of test has been stressed as an important part of lung function test program. This study was done to survey the current status of lung function test program in workers' health examination, and examine the variablity of test results when quality control is not achieved. Forty nine Workers' Health Examination Institutes and 7 Pneumoconiosis Referal Centers were surveyed for their current lung function tests, types of spirometers, and performance of technicians. To examine the effect of quality control program of lung function tests on the variablity of test results, 118 miners were tested under a quality control guideline and the results were compared to those obtained ignoring 4 major areas of the guideline-spirometer calibration, minimum number of tests per session, suitable prediction equations, and selection process of final results for each tested subjects. Among surveyed Institutes and Centers, only 38%(20/53) are performing any calibration of spirometers, and most of those calibrations are done automatically by the machine. All the surveyed Institutes and Centers obtain acceptable test no more than 2 times. The background of technicians include office workers and nurse aids without an adequate training in pulmonary physiology, and the testing posture and formats vary among Institutes and Centers. When the types of pulmonary dysfunction under the definition of the Ministry of Labor were compared between those obtained with and without quality control guidelines, spirometer calibration affected the test results in 6(5.1%) out of 118 subjects. The change in the minimum number of adequate tests from 1 to 3 and more brought changes in 19(16.1%) subjects. The test results of 9(7.6%) subjects differed between two different prediction equations, and the results of 7(5.9%) subjects differed between two different selection process of final results. The current practice of lung function tests of workers needs quality control programs, and the results of this study indicate that the first remedy should be to bring the minimum number of acceptable test to more than 3.

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