• Dr. J. Nancy
• Dr. K. Prasannakumari
• Dr. J. Merrylin

Beedi rolling is one of the most popular amongst unorganized industries, especially in some parts of the country. Women constitute a very high percentage of labour force in the industry. The nature of work is such that a worker cannot take her eye out of it even for a moment if she is to make a required number of beedi for a day. In the sheds or homes, due to dim light there is a huge possibility of eyes being affected. Optic neuropathy is one of the common diseases to which the labourers are exposed to. The toxic and nutritional optic neuropathies are actually acquired mitochondrial optic neuropathies. Vision loss in toxic and nutritional optic neuropathy is bilateral, symmetric, painless, gradual and progressive. Dyschromatopsia, a change in colour vision is often the first symptom. Loss of visual acuity may start with a blur or haze at the point of fixation. It refers to disorder of the optic nerve due to nutritional deficiency and toxicity. In its advanced stages, optic neuropathy leads to pallor of the optic nerve due to optic atrophy and the degeneration and death. Toxic and Nutritional Optic Neuropathy is progressive, with bilateral symmetrical painless. Bio physical tests like best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), cup-to-disc ratio (CDR), Colour Vision, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) Thickness were done. For this study, from the nineteen blocks of Tirunelveli District, three blocks were purposively selected based on the heavy concentration of beedi rollers. From the three blocks, 752 women beedi rollers were randomly selected. Alangulam, Pappakudi and Palayamkottai were the three blocks selected for intensive study. Respondents having significant RNFL loss at least in one eye were considered as positive for optic neuropathy. 43 per cent have vision problem. 88 per cent of the respondents had normal Intra Ocular Pressure and 12 per cent of the respondents suffered from high Intra Ocular Pressure. It is inferred that 56 per cent of the respondents had normal CDR ratios while 44 per cent have abnormal CD ratio. It is evident that eight per cent had poor colour vision. 37 per cent suffered from optic neuropathy and for 63 per cent of the respondents, the results are negative. The most common example of toxic nutritional optic neuropathy is that seen in tobacco-alcohol amplyopia and poor diet.

"Epidemiology of Optic Neuropathy among Female Beedi Rollers in Tirunelveli District", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.428-431, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907D65.pdf

"Epidemiology of Optic Neuropathy among Female Beedi Rollers in Tirunelveli District", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp428-431, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907D65.pdf