Abstract
Purpose :
The geriatric population is at risk for a wide variety of injuries and diseases. We investigate the causes and distribution of consumer product-related ocular injury among the geriatric population presenting to the emergency department (ED) in the United States (US).
Methods :
The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) is a statistically valid injury surveillance system based on a nationally representative probability sample of hospitals in the US and its territories. Each participating NEISS hospital reports patient information for every ED visit associated with a consumer product and the data is publicly available. Patients aged 65 years and older with ocular injury recorded in the NEISS between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2021 (12 years) were included. Patients were divided into four age groups: 65-74 years old (G1), 75-84 (G2), 85-94 (G3), and 95 or older (G4). Patient’s sex, race, diagnosis (type of ocular injury), environmental location where injury occurred, year of injury, consumer product category involved in the injury, and disposition were compared among different age groups. Pearson Chi Squared analysis was performed.
Results :
113,408 ED visits for G1, 43,180 for G2, 10,896 for G3, and 1,381 for G4 were included. Statistically greater proportion of ED visits involved female patients in G3 and G4 compared to G1 and G2 (55%, 36%, respectively, p<0.00001). The proportion of White/Non-Hispanic patients declined from 57% in G1 to 53% in G2 and G3 to 41% in G4 (p<.00001). Household items/furnishing and construction tools were responsible for the majority of injuries (60%) and proportion increased with age (58% in G1, 61% in G2, 71% in G3, and 81% in G4). 5% of ED visits in G1 and G2 required admission, transfer, or being held for observation, versus 17% in G3 and G4 (p<.00001). The injury occurred in the home setting for the majority of the cases (65%) in the geriatric population (range: 50% to 69%). Contusion, abrasion, and foreign body injuries accounted for 59% of cases (range: 45%-63%).
Conclusions :
Our findings suggest that trends exist in epidemiology of consumer product-related ocular injury within the geriatric population. The information garnered by this analysis may allow for targeted public education efforts and product modifications with regard to specific age-related risks for ocular injuries.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.