Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the epidemiology of ophthalmic trauma cases presenting to a level-one trauma center in New York City over a two-year period.
Methods: :
This retrospective observational study included 516 patients presenting with eye trauma to Bellevue Hospital between September 1, 2007 and August 31, 2009. Cases were extracted from a logbook used to record all ophthalmic consults since 1999 at this institution.
Results: :
Of the 516 patients presenting during this two year time period, 419 (81.2%) were males and 95 (17.8%) females. Overall, orbital wall fractures were the most common injury, accounting for 28.2% of all consults. The most common type of injury in females was corneal abrasions, accounting for 28.4% of cases, and the most common injury in males was orbital wall fractures, accounting for 28.6%.The average age of all patients was 37.8, with a median age of 35 (range: 1-97 years old). 8.7% of patients were 18 years of age or younger. The most common injuries in these children were corneal abrasions and orbital wall fractures, accounting for 22% and 24% of pediatric injuries respectively. The very elderly (>85 years old) accounted for less than 2% of all traumas, with orbital wall fractures again the most common injury in this age group. Greater than 5% of injuries were seriously vision threatening, including retrobulbar hemorrhages (16 cases), traumatic optic neuropathy (3 cases), and ruptured globes (16 cases). We found no significant seasonal difference in the incidence of ophthalmic trauma for any age group.
Conclusions: :
The epidemiology of ophthalmic traumas varies by age and gender. Unlike previous studies, ours did not find higher rates of these traumas in the summer. Better understanding of the epidemiology of ocular traumas may aid in improved health prevention efforts to minimize eye injuries.