Tobacco Eye Irritation

Introduction – epidemiology

Eye Irritation – While farmworkers experience a range of eye irritation as a result of their work and the environment, in tobacco work, one of the most common eye hazards are Pterygiums. To prevent this from happening, farmworkers need to wear UV safety glasses and hats to keep the sun out of their eyes.

Most common eye injuries

  • Dust or Dirt in the Eye
  • Chemicals in the Eye
  • Cut on the Eyelid or Eyeball
  • Blood on the Eyeball
  • Black Eye
  • Something poking into the Eyeball (impaled object)
  • Pterygium: growth in the corner of the eye; may cover the pupil and block vision and may need surgical correction. It is like sunburn of the eye.
  • Pterygium example

Symptoms of Pterygium

  • The two black dots in the center of the eyes (pupils) are different sizes.
  • The person suddenly has difficulty seeing or has severe eye pain.
  • The person currently has pink eye (red, itchy, watery eye) and has recently had a cold and red eyes, or the person gets pink eye a lot.
  • The person’s eye or vision changes after taking medication.
  • There’s a growth in or near the eye that doesn’t go away in 10 days.

Farmworker diagnosis and treatment links:

Farmworker prevention and education links: