Survey of back and neck pain in South African ophthalmologists

Abstract

Background: Back and neck pain are common in the general population and a common occupational condition. Occupationally related back and neck pain is common amongst ophthalmologists.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of back and neck pain amongst South African ophthalmologists.

Setting: This was a survey that was conducted amongst South African ophthalmologists (n = 324) and ophthalmologists-in-training (n = 115).

Methods: The response rate was 44.8% (n = 197). There was no sampling and a hyperlink to an electronic questionnaire, hosted on the REDCap survey platform, was sent to 440 potential respondents. A descriptive analysis was carried out using STATA version 15. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Witwatersrand.

Results: Mean age was 47.1 years (standard deviation [s.d.] ± 12.1) and 62 (31.5%) women. The cohort was stratified into specialists (n = 81, 41.1%), subspecialists (n = 75, 38.1%) and ophthalmologists-in-training (n = 41, 20.8%). Most of the participants (n = 156, 79.2%) were qualified ophthalmologists. Respondents reported current back pain (n = 124, 62.9%), lower back pain (n = 66, 33.5%) and neck pain (n = 76, 38.6%). The overall median pain rating (on a scale from 1 to 10) was 4. Respondents reported mild pain (n = 71, 36%) and severe pain (n = 35, 17.7%). Operating and using a slit lamp were pain aggravating factors in 36% (n = 71) and 37.1% (n = 73), respectively.

Conclusion: Back and neck pain are prevalent amongst South African ophthalmologists and comparable to other ophthalmologists worldwide.