The role of socio-hygienic factors in the development of diseases of the organs of vision in medical students and the possibility of their prevention

The purpose of this study was to investigate the status and main trends of the prevalence of diseases of the eye and its appendages in medical university students with the detection of priority risk factors of the educational environment.

Materials and methods. The method of investigation included several stages. The general population was analyzed (official statistical data of the ophthalmologic service of the Voronezh Region Health Department (statistical forms No. 12, 14, 14 SD, 30)), and selective studies were conducted (based on the copying and analysis of data from outpatient charts and case histories). A total of 1500 study cards were filled out, the total number of visits amounted to 3200. In the second stage of the study, a sociological survey was conducted on a specially developed questionnaire consisting of 46 questions grouped into 5 blocks. In total, 1950 respondents were surveyed. Statistical processing is performed on the basis of statistical analysis software package and the Chart Wizard in Microsoft Excel 2010, as well as the STATISTICA 6.0 application package.

Results. Our studies have made it possible to refine and supplement the current data on the prevalence of diseases of the eye and its appendages among students in the Voronezh region, which can be used as a basis for planning activities to improve specialized ophthalmic care for this population category. Eye diseases were shown to be a fairly common pathology among students, and those who study at the medical school have their own characteristics that require serious measures to improve the system of epidemiological surveillance of this pathology. The surveillance system should include monitoring the impact of various risk factors and timely elimination of adverse events. To this end, in educational institutions, it is important to observe ergonomic requirements for the organization of workplaces, to observe the time of providing breaks for rest during the school day, to establish their duration and arrange for these breaks taking into account the training course, load volume and hygienic characteristics of the classrooms, where classes are held. It should not be forgotten that the leading role in the prevention of the negative impact of non-favorable factors is assigned to the very contingent of students who must be able to take individual preventive measures and observe personal hygiene rules. In this regard, the educational organizations need to repeatedly increase the amount of work on hygiene education and the education of young people.