Abstract
Purpose :
Ocular trauma can result in irreversible vision loss. Appropriate management and resource allocation are critical to minimize the long-term consequences of ocular trauma. Longitudinal factors, such as a pandemic, may impact the rates and types of ocular trauma. In this study, we evaluated the trends in ocular trauma in an urban Emergency Department (ED) from 2019-2021 during the COVID pandemic.
Methods :
A retrospective chart review was conducted on patient records from the University Hospital ED in Newark, NJ from 2019-2021 to identify all the Ophthalmology consults in the ED related to trauma in adults (age>18 years). Patient demographic characteristics were recorded, alongside the type of trauma and diagnosis. The ocular traumatic emergencies in the pre-COVID year (3/2019-2/2020) were compared to those during the first year of COVID (3/2020-2/2021). Two sample proportion tests were utilized to compare frequency of eye injury (alpha=0.05).
Results :
We identified 665 traumatic eye injury related consultations in the ED in the 2-year study period. The average age was 32 years old and 23.8% of patients were uninsured. Between March 2019 and February 2020, of 408 traumatic cases, orbital fracture (25%) and eyelid/facial lacerations (14.5%) were the most common. Similarly, from March 2020 to February 2021 (n=257), orbital fracture (31.9%) and eyelid/facial lacerations (22.6%) were the most common diagnoses. Comparison by diagnosis found significant differences in the distribution of the types of eye trauma in the pre-COVID and COVID years: eyelid/facial lacerations (14.5% vs 22.6%; p=0.008), corneal abrasions (2.9% vs 7.8%; p=0.032), and retinal detachment (0.7% vs 5.8%; p<0.001). Longitudinal analysis of ocular trauma visits in the ED found large variations by month, with the most visits in April 2019 (n=43) and fewest in April 2020 (n=11).
Conclusions :
We observed a decrease in total number trauma related eye emergencies in the ED during the first year of COVID; the rate of open globe injuries, however, remained the same. Although the types of traumatic ocular injuries observed were similar in both years, there were significant differences in the frequencies of some injuries. These findings may be utilized for resource allocation and patient management at major trauma centers.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.