Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: The purpose of our study was to characterize the incidence and variability of the mechanisms of open globe injuries in different age groups and to determine whether age at time of injury was related to visual prognosis. Methods: A retrospective case review was conducted of 100 open globe injuries presenting to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Patients were grouped as pediatric (ages 0-17), adult (ages 18-64), and seniors (ages 65 and above) and data on clinical presentation, type and cause of injury, visual acuity and follow-up were obtained. Location of the globe injury was determined using the zonal classification scale proposed by the Ocular Trauma Classification Group. Results: Adults comprised 53.7% of total patients seen with open globe injuries, while children and seniors comprised 28.9% and 14.4% of open globe patients, respectively. In the pediatric population, penetrating injuries predominated (82.2%) involving zone 1 (75.5%) most frequently. The most common mechanism of injury among pediatric patients was projectile injuries (45.6%). Adult patients were more likely to have penetrating injuries (72.9%), again with projectile injuries accounting for 62.5% of all injuries. Among the senior group, rupture was the most common type of open globe injury (72.7%) and fall was the most common mechanism (68.9%). Zone 2 and 3 injuries were most frequently found in the senior group (37.9 % and 32.5% respectively). Conclusions: This study is the first report to document the incidence and variability of open globe injuries according to patient age. Our results suggest that these injuries are common in the pediatric and elderly population, despite the fact that most patients with open globes are ages 18-64. Additionally, our report documents variability in the patterns of injuries according to age, such as increased incidence of rupture in elderly patients, which may be useful for clinicians in the evaluation of patients with these injuries as well as in efforts to prevent them.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: pre • trauma • aging