OCULAR INJURIES AMONG AGRICULTURAL WORKERS ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN MANDYA, KARNATAKA - A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Occupational injuries, especially those affecting the eyes, which put agricultural workers at high risk. In developing countries like India, where the problem is made worse by a lack of knowledge about eye protection. This facility-based study aimed to assess the incidence, causes, and severity Material and Methods: of ocular injuries among agricultural workers visiting a tertiary care hospital in Mandya. Among 23 ag Results: ricultural workers with eye injuries were enrolled, majority (73.9%) were males, with a mean age of 52.91 ± 10.4 years. The leading cause of injury was plant/branch-related trauma (34.8%), with corneal abrasions and foreign body injuries being the most frequent types (30.4% each). Moderate injuries were seen in 78.3% of cases, while 8.7% had blindness. This study h Conclusion: ighlights the necessity for public health advocacy directed at agricultural workers for the use of eyeglasses.