Background Visual impairment and blindness are major public health problems in developing countries where there is no enough health-care service. Objective To determine the prevalence of visual impairment among school children. Materials and Methods A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted between 15 June 2015 and 30 November 2015 at Arada subcity primary schools, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Two schools were selected randomly, and 378 students were screened from grades 1 to 8 using systematic random sampling method. Snellen chart was used for visual acuity test. Students who had visual acuity of ≤6/12 were further examined by an ophthalmologist to diagnose the reason for low vision. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results A total of 378 students were screened, and 192 (50.8%) were females and the remaining 186 (49.2%) were males. The prevalence of visual impairment (VA) of ≤6/12 on either eye was 5.8%, VA < 6/18 on either eye was 1.1%, and VA < 6/18 on the better eye was 0.53%. In this study, color blindness [OR: 19.65, 95% CI (6.01–64.33)] was significantly associated with visual acuity impairment. Conclusion The prevalence of visual impairment among school children in the study area was 5.8% and school screening is recommended.

In many of the textile industries, workers are largely exposed to cotton dust, which can leave workers with respiratory disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate respiratory status of workers exposed to cotton dust in Arba Minch textile factory, Southern Ethiopia, 2017. A comparative cross sectional study was done and 51 workers exposed to cotton dust in the factory and 51 age and sex matched controls were investigated. Their lung function was measured with a pocket size digital Spirometer. A standardized questionnaire based on British Medical Research Council Questionnaire was used to assess respiratory system symptoms and use of personal protective devices. This study reveals that the percentage prevalence of cough, phlegm, wheeze, breathlessness and chest tightness was 64.7, 55, 39, 41 and 43% for exposed respondents, respectively and 25.5, 14, 8, 6 and 0% for control subjects, respectively. Lung function indices such as, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced mid expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of FVC (FEF25-75%) were higher in control respondents than in exposed respondents and the mean difference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) and the mean difference of predicted percentage values of FVC and FEV1 between the groups was found to be statistically significant (P<0.05). FEV1% was higher in the control group than in exposed group. Therefore, the factory management should provide personal protective devices (PPDs) to exposed employees and should train them.