Abstract
Purpose :
Ocular trauma is a leading cause of monocular blindness in the pediatric population worldwide. Understanding the underlying patterns of such injuries is key to prevention, particularly in developing nations. The Second Xiangya Hospital is a major tertiary referral center for ophthalmological conditions in southern China. Our aim is to evaluate the epidemiology of pediatric ocular trauma in this population.
Methods :
All patients ≤18 years of age who presented with eye injuries to The Second Xiangya Hospital between December 2012 and June 2014 were included. Patient charts were evaluated from the hospital’s electronic medical record system for all hospitalized patients. One-sample chi-square test was used to compare the distribution of injuries by gender, age and etiology. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for association between clinical relevant variables.
Results :
115 patients were evaluated. There were more males (n=86, 74.8%) than females (n=29, 25.2%, p<0.001). Open globe injuries had greater frequency (n=91, 79.1%, p<0.001) than closed globe injuries (n=22, 19.1%) and thermal/chemical injuries (n=2, 1.7%). 7 patients also had adnexal injuries (6.1%). Of the open globe injuries, corneal penetration was the most common injury (n=65, 71.4%, p<0.001) followed by intraocular foreign body (n=16, 17.6%). Endophthalmitis occurred in 19 patients (16.5%) and was associated with open-globe injuries (r=0.228, p=0.014). 8 (7%) patients presented with glaucoma secondary to trauma and 6 (5.2%) with lens dislocation. The average age of patients was 7.7 ± 4.5 years (range 10 months to 18 years). The frequency of ocular trauma peaked in children 5 to 9 years of age (n= 55, 47.8%, p<0.001). The three most common etiologies were home-related (n=68, 59.1%), outdoor activities (n=16, 13.9%), and road traffic injuries (n=13, 11.3%). Rural residence was associated with ocular trauma during outdoor activities (r=0.229, p=0.014). Delayed time-to-presentation was associated with closed globe or thermal/chemical injuries (r= 0.249, p=0.007) and not with rural residence (r=0.065, p=0.147).
Conclusions :
Pediatric ocular traumas varied by age, gender, urban/rural location and time. There was a high rate of open-globe injuries and showed specific patterns that may contrast with those from developed nations. Better understanding of the epidemiology of ocular traumas may aid in improved health prevention efforts to minimize eye injuries.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.