Prevalence of Pterygium Among Commercial Motorcyclists in Njaba Lga of Imo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pterygium among commercial motorcyclists in NJABA L.G.A of Imo state, Nigeria. The objectives of this study was to determine the percentage of the motorcyclists suffering from pterygium in relation to duration of riding, to determine the prevalence of pterygium based on duration/exposure, and also to determine the stages of pterygium in relation to age. A total number of 150 subjects/ respondents were used for the purpose of this research work whereby all were male of different ages. This was done using descriptive and inferential statistics from the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS) for vision screening at different motorcycle stands in Njaba L.G.A. Only those who have resided in Njaba LGA for atleast 2 years and had at least one year of riding experience were eligible for the vision screening. The research came out with the following findings: the commonest ocular findings were conjunctival disorders which included pterygium. Of the eyes that had pterygium 55.6% had stage 1 pterygium, 37.8% had stage 2 pterygium, 4.4% had stage 3 pterygium while no subject had stage 4 pterygium. This study concluded that the increased prevalence of pterygium noted among these motorcyclists confirms the findings in other studies among outdoor workers and can be reduced by use of helmets and proper riding goggles. It was also concluded in the study that, the increased prevalence of pterygium noted among these motorcyclists confirms the findings in other studies among outdoor workers. The study also recommends that, to reduce this prevalence, helmets with full-face shields or ultraviolet rays protected proper riding goggles where the helmets have no face shields are recommended as best protection for motorcyclists.