AIM:To investigate the risk factors that cause phototoxic maculopathy in occupational welders.

METHODS: We examined a group of 68 male welders 136 eyes from some metal manufacturing enterprise from March 2012 to December 2012. Participants underwent thorough ophthalmologic examination including visual acuity, fundus photography, and high definition optical coherence tomography(OCT)scan. A specialist of occupational medicine examined all participants of this study prior to the OCT. The clinical history of all subjects was screened carefully before the study. All the subjects were divided into three groups according to age, length of service, protection habits. The incidences of phototoxic maculopathy were compared in 3 groups.

RESULTS: The incidences ofphototoxic maculopathy in less than or equal to 35 years old group, and more than 35 years old group were respectively 35.14%, 29.03%, and difference was not statistically significant. The incidences of phototoxic maculopathy in less than or equal to 10-years-seniority group, and more than 10-years-seniority group were respectively 11.76% and 33.33%, and the difference was statistically significant. The incidences of phototoxic maculopathy in strict protection group, protective random group and sunglasses protection group were respectively 21.88%, 36.96%, and 50.00%. The incidence in strict protection group was lower than the other two groups, the incidence was the highest in sunglasses protection group, and the difference was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: The risk factors of phototoxic maculopathy in occupational welders are the length of service and protection habits. The longer the length of service, the macular lesions probability is high; protection more strict, macular lesions rate is low. The phototoxic maculopathy occurs regardless of age.