Eye Trouble for Traffic Cops in Puducherry

Traffic police in Puducherry spend their days on busy roads. They breathe in car exhaust, dust, and get lots of sunlight. This constant contact with pollution and UV can hurt their eyes. Researchers wanted to know how many of them have eye surface problems.

They asked 106 officers to visit the eye clinic at Indira Gandhi Medical College. Each person filled out a questionnaire called OSDI that asks about dry feeling. Doctors also measured tear amount with Schirmer's test, checked how fast tears break up with TBUT, and looked at tear meniscus height. They took a small sample from the conjunctiva to see cell changes under a microscope. All data were analyzed with SPSS, using chi‑square tests and a p‑value cut‑off of 0.05.

Results showed that most officers had some grade of change: 17% had none, 47.2% mild, 31.1% moderate, and 4.7% severe according to Nelson's scale. Dry eye symptoms appeared in 78.3% of the group, and about half reported work‑related stress. The grade was linked to years on the road, higher OSDI scores, and shorter TBUT (all p<0.05).

The study defined exposure as more than one year of steady contact with pollution, dust, and UV. The eye sample revealed squamous metaplasia, a sign of surface change, tying exposure to outcome. Experts suggest regular eye checks and simple protections like glasses or breaks to lower risk.