EVALUATION OF OCULAR SURFACE DISORDERS IN RESIDENTS OF NEMBE

ABSTRACT

The goal of the study was to evaluate the ocular surface of people living in Nembe, town in Bayelsa State , which is one of the major area for petroleum activities in the state. 341 residents of Nembe or surrounding communities, Who have been living in the area for more than 10 years were the participants in the study. The participants completed the OSDI questionnaire to help to determine their subjective observations. While the objective findings was done by examiners .The technique of convenience sampling was used to choose the participants. The study's goals are to ascertain the incidence of ocular surface diseases in Nembe, an area that produces oil and gas, to identify the most prevalent ocular surface disorders there, and to ascertain the impact of ocular surface disorders on residents' everyday lives. Participants in this study had an average age of 49.90 ± 16.59 years. There were 8 age categories in this study. The results showed that 58% of the participants were female, 101 of the participants fell between the ages of 42 and 51 this indicated 30% of the participants fell within the range , 37% were involved in crafts or businesses, and nearly 60% had visual acuity in their worse eye that prevented them from reading with 6/9 or better. 39% of the subjects had no ocular surface problems, while 25% of them had pinguecula, 16% had conjunctivitis, 15% had pterygium, 3% had corneal opacity, and 2% had arcus senilis.When individuals were assessed using the OSDI questionnaire, 183 (54%) had severe Ocular Surface Disorders, 80 (23%) had moderate Ocular Surface Disorders, 65 (19%) had mild Conditions, and 13 (4%) had normal scores. It was concluded that the Petrolem activities in Nembe have an impact on the residents' ocular surface. It was recommended that eye doctors should educate residents in areas of Petroleum activities about the negative effects of air pollution on the eyes and urge them to prioritise their own eye health.