Background and purpose: Eye injury is one of the main reasons for blindness and disability especially in working population. Every year, a lot of metal lathe operators bear severe occupational eye injures due to foreign bodies. Self-treatment in such cases results in many irreparable conditions. The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of cases who experienced foreign body in their eyes, and attempted self-removal of the foreign body. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 200 operators of metal lathe in Sari, 2011. The data was collected through interviews and a standard questionnaire on recording eye injuries considering the worker’s local status and behavior towards the foreign body. Results: A total of 200 male workers were participated in this study whose mean age was 32.4+10.2. Among the samples 85% had previously experienced foreign body at least in one eye. Only 14% referred to hospitals for removing the foreign body. Ocular local anesthesia especially terracing was used without prescription by 83%. Conclusion: According to this study more educational programs should be carried out to increase the knowledge of people in work environments and reduce the rate of eye injuries.

Keywords: Foreign body, self-treatment, tetracaine

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