Abstract
Purpose:
Trauma remains an important cause of ocular morbidity in the pediatric population. Recognizing the underlying patterns of such injuries is key to prevention, and they have been described in numerous settings. Montefiore Medical Center (MMC) is the largest healthcare provider in the Bronx, NY, an urban locality where 28.5% of individuals live below the poverty line. Our aim is to characterize patterns of all pediatric ocular traumas in this population.
Methods:
Our study is a descriptive, retrospective analysis of all cases presenting to the emergency department at MMC from 2011-2013 for which an ophthalmologic consultation was obtained for ocular trauma. The cohort in our study comprises all patients less than 20 years of age, with analysis of gender, age, type of injury, site of injury and mechanism of trauma.
Results:
160 charts were reviewed, consisting of 90 (56.25%) males and 70 (43.75)% females (p=0.11). Gender ratios remained stable across age groups. Of 152 unilateral injuries, 66 (44.1%) were right-sided and 85 (65.95%) were left-sided (p=0.14). The mean age of all pediatric injury was 9 years. We found a higher mean age for sports-related injuries at 12.36 years (p=0.02) and assaults at 11.67 years (p=0.04). Children aged 6-12 years were most at risk for injuries from toys and objects, sustaining 62.5% (p=.004) of these injuries, as well as 54.5% (p=0.21) of finger pokes. 47% of chemical/contact related injuries were sustained among patients under the age of 6. The most common injury was corneal abrasion, which was observed in 86 patients (53.75%). Seven (4.3%) of patients presented with eyelid lacerations, all of whom were boys (p=0.02). Other injuries included hyphema (n=5), traumatic retinal detachments/tears (n=3), cataract (n=2), and dislocated lens (n=2).
Conclusions:
Underlying causes of eye trauma are neither unpreventable nor haphazard. Our results demonstrate eye injuries in the urban underserved setting show specific patterns that may diverge from those of the general population, giving insight into preventive measures in this community.
Keywords: 742 trauma •
463 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence