Pterygium among Staff of College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of pterygium among the staff of College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and an association between computer use and pterygium development. A descriptive cross-sectional study in which 150 staff of the College of Science, KNUST, Kumasi, aged 25 to 60 years who volunteered were examined for pterygium. A closeended questionnaire was used to interview the participants. Majority (68.00%) of the participants were males. The ages of the participants ranged from 25 years to 60 years, with a mean age of 38.85 years. Majority (79.33%) of the participants were generally indoor workers while 31(20.67%) were outdoor workers. One hundred and sixteen (77.33%) of the participants were computer users (either at work, home or both) and 34 (22.67%) of the participants were not. The general prevalence of pterygium was 41.33%. The proportion of pterygium was highest among males (43.14%), highest in the age group 41 -50 years (51.22%) and was higher among outdoor workers (51.61%) than indoor workers (40.33%). The proportion of pterygium among computer using participants was 40.52%. A significant association (95 CI, p = 0.02) was observed between the number of hours of computer use per day and pterygium development, with the highest number of cases recorded among those who spent more than 2 hours on the computer daily. Pterygium is more prevalent among outdoor workers than indoor workers. For indoor workers, individuals who spend time on the computer may be predisposed to the development of pterygium, with persons who spend an average of more than two hours per day on the computer both at home and at work , most susceptible. Keywords: