A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 2 RCTs and 3 controlled before-and-after studies evaluating any educational intervention aimed at preventing eye injuries. 1 study reported eye injuries as an outcome and 4 studies reported change in behaviour or knowledge. One study tested the effectiveness of training supervisors in the fundamentals of behaviour modification in order to increase the use of safety glasses by employees in shipyard environment. For the experimental group, eye injury rates in the before and after periods were 11.8 and 4.32 per 100 employees (7.48% decrease), respectively. For the control group, injury rates in the before and after periods were 5.82 and 4.66 per 100 employees (1.16% decrease), respectively. The observed difference between experimental and control groups was not statistically significant (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.09 to 2.36).
One study assessed behaviour through a pre and post-survey of the use of protective eyewear by squash players; players in the intervention group had 1.8 times greater odds (95% CI 0.9 to 3.5) than control players of using appropriate eyewear. Another study measured self-reported and observed use of safety glasses by farm workers. Self-reported use of safety glasses improved (P<0.0001) in all study groups between before and after periods. One study measured knowledge by tests administered to the school children before and after an eye health and safety intervention; statistically significant improvement in knowledge among intervention school children compared to control children (WMD 4.17, 95% CI 3.11 to 5.23) was observed.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study quality (inadequate or unclear allocation concealment and blinding), by inconsistency (heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes and variability in results across studies) and by imprecise results (wide confidence intervals).
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