Visual Acuity and Self-Reported Visual Function Among Migrant Farmworkers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arcury TA ; Chen H ; Quandt SA ; Schulz MR
• Description:
  Purpose: Visual impairment presents significant risks for occupational injuries among farmworkers, a vulnerable population with limited access to vision care. Although previous research has noted farmworkers' low lifetime experience with vision screening and high rates of complaints of eye ailments and poor vision, there have been few screening data collected to evaluate these self-reports. The objectives of this analysis are to (1) describe farmworker visual health using standardized visual acuity screening data and self-reported visual function, and (2) to compare the screening and self-report data. Methods: Data are from a cross-sectional study of eye health among Latino migrant farmworkers in North Carolina with uncorrected vision (n = 289). Workers were recruited using methods to achieve a representative sample of a hard-to-reach population. Visual acuity data were collected using Snellen Tumbling E charts for nearsightedness and farsightedness. Binocular data are reported here. Interviews were conducted to obtain personal characteristics and self-assessed visual function. Results: About 75% of farmworkers reported never having had a vision screening. Based on binocular screening, 1.7% (distance vision) and 6.9% (near vision) had moderate to severe visual impairment (>20/40). Farmworkers self-reported poorer visual function, compared with screening results; only 36.4% reported good or very good vision. Sensitivity of distance and near vision self-reports were 60 and 20%, respectively, but specificity was high. Conclusions: This study confirms past reports of little vision screening among farmworkers. Visual impairment for distance is comparable to other studies of Latinos in the US, though these studies have not reported near vision. Self-reports of vision problems are not a sensitive measure of visual acuity among farmworkers. Screening is needed to identify visual impairment that can create occupational safety risks in this health disparate population. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Emigration And Immigration Eye Farmers Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs Vision Disorders
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Agricultural Processes Author Keywords: Latino Cross Sectional Studies Eye Disorders Eye Function Tests Eye Safety Farmworker Farm Workers Health Disparities Injuries Migrant Workers Vision Disorders Visual Function Visual Impairment

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• ISSN:
  1040-5488
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  93
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053065
• Citation:
  Optom Vis Sci 2016 Oct; 93(10):1189-1195
• Contact Point Address:
  Sara A. Quandt, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention Wake Forest School of Medicine Medical Center Boulevard Winston-Salem, NC 27157
• Email:
  squandt@wakehealth.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Optometry and Vision Science
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:37d6c30949f7c2485f3a011c1eb1de78a80ddc4142276d2ccbbaf673f89a7d3a6f87b806be46718cddd6397dd473371896617402427ea7ca1d037f9aced6e4c0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215913/cdc_215913_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 153.39 KB ]