OCCUPATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SENILE CATARACT – OPINIONS OF PATIENTS OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Abstract

Purpose: To identify perceptions about relationship between the occupational activity and origin of the disease in persons with senile cataract. Methods: A descriptive observational transversal study was developed by a structured questionnaire which was applied during interviews elaborated from an exploratory study . The sample was accessible with patients with cataract in an ophthalmogical clinic of an university hospital. Results: One hundred and ten persons of boths genders (34,5% males and 65,5% females aged between 43 and 89 years old were submitted to the study. The great proportion of persons was not developing payed activities (87,3%). Among the most frequent opinions about the causes of cataract were advanced age (69,1%), excessive use of the vision (57,3%) and influence of hot temperatures against the eyes (40,9%). Regarding the opinions about the relation between professional activities and development of cataract, 56,4% did not believe that the activity shown had influence in the origin of disease, while 43,6% believed in a relation between the occupational activity and the development of the disease. Visual strain (37,5%), excessive hot temperatures (12,5%) and use of chemical substances (10,3%) were the attributable causes of cataract related to professional activities. Conclusions: We observed a great predominance of aged with low schooling and not developing payed activities persons and retired from the work market suggesting low socio-economic levels and low acquisitive power. Situations indicated by the examined persons as excessive use of the vision and hot temperatures suffered by the eyes during occupational activities suggest an erroneous knowledge about disease.