Introduction Saudi Aramco is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia. JHAH is the healthcare provider for eligible Saudi Aramco employees and their dependents.

The JHAH vision conservation program provides quality assurance for prescription safety spectacles, visual assessment of cases referred from occupational medicine, eye examination for laser users, visual assessment for drivers and heavy equipment and crane operators, and a glaucoma screening program.

Glaucoma was the cause for the permanent disability of 38 staff members due to blindness between 1975–1984. As a result, Saudi Aramco decided to keep its glaucoma screening program in-house and not outsource it as other large companies do.

Methods Employees above the age of 45 are enrolled in glaucoma screening and are assessed once every 5 years.

During the screening examination, an employee is provided with a detailed history with symptoms, visual acuity assessment, an ocular health examination and intraocular pressure measurements. If a test comes back abnormal, the employee is scheduled for a detailed screening examination in the Occupational Optometry Clinic, and if required is referred to an ophthalmologist.

Results Based on the screening criteria, 20 000 employees are eligible for the program. Approximately 3000 employees are scheduled for screening annually. Nearly 60% of enrolled employees are assessed per department. Many of those screened require health awareness related to ocular dryness and prescription-related changes. In addition early vision changes were found to be due to diabetes, cataracts, and glaucoma. About 50 annually require specialist referral.

Discussion Using a visual task analysis, the program has improved visual deficiency at Saudi Aramco. Prior to the program, many participants had not been aware of a problem. In the poster, three cases (early onset glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa) where early diagnosis and intervention prevented permanent visual impairment will be discussed.