Journal of agromedicine
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2006
Barriers and benefits of protective eyewear use by Latino farm workers.
Agricultural work is one of the riskiest occupations for the eyes. Protective eyewear can prevent eye injuries in upward of 90% of cases. Latino migrant and seasonal farm workers (LFWs) are at particular risk of eye injury because of economic, social, and cultural barriers to safe employment. ⋯ Since eliminating the eye injury hazard is not possible in most agricultural settings, administrative strategies and use of personal protective equipment are critical. Perceptions of the target audience, LFWs, should be used to develop a comprehensive eye safety program; this should include allowing LFWs to select a style from effective prototypes, providing eyewear and promoting/mandating its use in hazardous job tasks, and implementing a comprehensive PPE program for eye safety. In addition, addressing functional problems - falling off, fogging, loss and forgetting glasses, the pace slowdown that reduces production and leads to lower wages for workers - should be addressed.
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2004
Human and ecosystem health: the environment-agriculture connection in developing countries.
Agricultural productivity and the health of farming populations are both influenced by environmental change. Farming activities also affect the environment. ⋯ Changes in these environmental dimensions are critical to the health of rural populations in developing countries. National and international policies and incentives for the protection of agricultural environments are described.
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2004
ReviewCataract blindness in the developing world: is there a solution?
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, accounting for half of the world's 40 million blind. The majority of the world's 20 million cataract blind live in the developing world. About 5 million new cases of cataract blindness occur each year. ⋯ Extra capsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with placement of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) is the hope for preferred method of treatment. This paper discusses a largely overlooked method of cataract surgery which may be an additional, cost-effective and efficacious means of providing good sight rehabilitation. Combining intracapsular cataract extraction, currently the most common method used in the rural developing world, with anterior chamber intraocular lens implantation (ICCE AC-IOL), may prove effective in reducing the cataract backlog in developing countries.
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Journal of agromedicine · Jan 2004
Case ReportsFire ant anaphylaxis: two critical cases in South Carolina.
Two clinical cases illustrate near-fatal reactions to fire ant venom encountered by an infant playing in the backyard, and by a pharmacist working indoors in a hospital setting under a ceiling ventilation duct.