Course Objectives

• This course deals with general aspects of occupational health, Visual function demands in various jobs, visual task analysis, visual standards, occupational hazards, occupational safety and role of optometrist in different occupations through classroom sessions and project presentations.

Learning Outcomes

• At the end of the course students will be knowledgeable in the following aspects:
  1. In visual requirements of jobs
  2. In effects of physical, chemical and other hazards on eye and vision
  3. To identify occupational causes of visual and eye problems
  4. To be able to prescribe suitable corrective lenses and eye protective wear
  5. To set visual requirements, standards for different jobs
  

Course Syllabus

MODULE-I : (2 hours)
• Introduction to Occupational health, hygiene and safety, international bodies like ILO, WHO, National bodies etc.Acts and Rules - Factories Act, WCA, ESI Act.
catalunyafarm.com
MODULE-II: (2.5 hours)
• Occupational hazards- physical, chemical & biological
• Recognition, evaluation and control, preventive/protective methods at workplace
• Accident analysis
• Personal protective equipment- General & Eye

MODULE-III: (1.5 hours)
• Occupational ocular injuries - mechanical, non mechanical and chemical
• Prevention of occupational diseases
• Medical examination/medical monitoring

MODULE-IV: (2 hours)
• Visual Display Units
• Visual Ergonomics
• Computer vision syndrome
• Contact lens and work

Project: Article presentation on Computer vision Syndrome and visual ergonomics (2.5 hours)
MODULE-V: (2 hours)
• Electromagnetic Radiation and its effects on Eye
• Light – Definitions and units, Sources, advantages and disadvantages, standards
• Colour – Definition, Colour theory, colour coding, colour defects, colour Vision tests
• Welding and eye

Project: Presentation on Hazards from mobile radiations and Welding (2 hours)
MODULE-VI: (1.5 hours)
• Visual Task Analysis
• Testing for vision standards
• Driving and eye
• Industrial Vision Screening – Modified clinical method and Industrial Vision test

Project: Presentation on occupation screenings and eye protection for different jobs (4 hours)

MODULE-VII: (1 hour)
• Special occupational groups - sports, chemical & mineral industries, goldsmiths, etc
• Role of Optometrists – promotion of general and visual health and safety of people at work
Project: Visual demands and role of optometrists in different occupations (4 hours)

Session Plan

Session 1

Introduction to Occupational health and safety
Reference:
(Click to open WHO definitions)
(Click to watch introduction video)

Session 2

International bodies like ILO, WHO, OSHA
Reference:
(Click to know about ILO)
(Click to know about WHO)
(Click to know about OSHA)

National bodies like NIOH, MLE, NSC, VVGNLI ete. Acts and Rules - Factories Act, WCA, ESI Act
Reference: (Click to know about MLE)

session-3 

occupational hazards - physical ,chemical and biological

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338432406_Introduction_to_Occupational_Health_Hazards

https://youtu.be/WZN-MHo0lDY

Session 4

Accident analysis
Reference: PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015 - Chapter 8

Occupational hazards- types, Recognition, evaluation, prevention and control at workplace
Reference: (Click to watch video lecture)

Session 5

Personal protective equipment- General & Eye
Reference:
(Click for OSHA standard guidelines)
(Click to watch video lecture)

Session 6

Ocular Injuries
Reference:PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015 - Chapter 9
Reference:R V North: Work and the eye, Second edition, Butterworth Heinemann, 2001 (Click to open PDF)

Session 7

Occupational hygiene & medical monitoring
Reference: PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015 - Chapter 6, 7

https://iosh.com/media/2801/biological-monitoring-kate-ansell-south-west-july-2017.pdf

session-8

Prevention of occupational diseases
Reference: (Click to watch video lecture)

https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/presentation/wcms_207663.pdf

Session 9

Visual Display Units
Reference:
(Click to open notes)
(Click to WHO PDF)

session-10

Visual Ergonomics
Reference: J Anshel-Visual Ergonomics Handbook, CRC Press, 2005 Click to open PDF

session-11

computer vision syndrome

pdf-https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/computer-vision-syndrome

video-https://youtu.be/IW5Ly9SCdoI

Session 12

Electromagnetic Radiation and its effects on Eye
Reference: Textbook: PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015 - Chapter 12

session-13

Light – Definitions and units, Sources, advantages and disadvantages, standards
Reference: (Click to open guidelines

Session 14

Colour – Definition, Colour theory, colour coding, colour defects, colour Vision tests
Reference: (Click to open article)

session-15

Contact lens and work
Reference: PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015 - Chapter 20

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/prevention/contact_len.html

session-16

welding and eye

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/welding/eyes.html#:~:text=Certain%20types%20of%20UV%20radiation,the%20front%20of%20the%20eye.

Session 17

Visual Task Analysis
Reference: PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015 - Chapter 4

session-18

Testing for vision standards
Reference: R V North: Work and the eye, Second edition, Butterworth Heinemann, 2001 (Click to open PDF)

session-19

Driving and eye
Reference: (Click to open guidelines)

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344454165_VISION_AND_DRIVING_AN_UNDERESTIMATED_BUT_FUNDAMENTAL_RELATIONSHIP_FOR_PROMOTING_ROAD_SAFETY_WORLDWIDE

Session 20

Industrial Vision Screening – Modified clinical method and Industrial Vision test
Reference: R V North: Work and the eye, Second edition, Butterworth Heinemann, 2001 (Click to open PDF)

session-21

Role of Optometrists – promotion of general and visual health and safety of people at work
Reference: (Click to open article)

Projects

1. Article presentation on Computer vision Syndrome and visual ergonomics (2.5 hours)
2. Presentation on Hazards from mobile radiations and Welding (2 hours)
3. Presentation on occupation screenings and eye protection for different jobs (4 hours)
4. Visual demands and role of optometrists in different occupations (4 hours)

Text Books

1. PP Santanam, R Krishnakumar, Monica R. Dr. Santanam’s text book of Occupational optometry. 1st edition, Published by Elite School of optometry , unit of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai, India , 2015
2. R V North: Work and the eye, Second edition, Butterworth Heinemann, 2001
3.G Carson, S Doshi, W Harvey: Eye Essentials: Environmental & Occupational Optometry, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008
4.G W Good: Occupational Vision Manual available in the website: www.aoa.org