Pediatric eye injuries in a Canadian emergency department.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the descriptive epidemiology of children with eye injuries presenting to the emergency department of a major Canadian pediatric hospital. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: All pediatric patients (up to 18 years of age) presenting with ocular injuries to a tertiary care pediatric emergency department between January 1 and December 31, 2002. METHODS: Chart review was conducted using Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Program forms. All injuries were classified by Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology (BETT). RESULTS: There were 149 patients who presented with eye injuries to the emergency department in 2002, and all of them were included in the study. Patient ages ranged from 3 months to 18 years with a median age of 8 years 8 months (interquartile range 4-11 years). Boys accounted for 73.2% of the patient total. Most of the cases (57.7%) needed some treatment and required follow-up. Eleven patients (7.3%) had vision-threatening eye injuries that required surgical management, and 3 of these required multiple surgeries. Seven of the 11 patients suffered open globe lacerations, 3 open globe ruptures, and 1 closed globe injury. CONCLUSIONS: Most eye injuries occurred at home during the summer, and over 7% of children presenting to the emergency department with eye trauma had vision-threatening injuries that required surgical management. Increasing awareness of the serious nature of ocular injuries will help to develop a comprehensive plan for educating both parents and children to minimize preventable pediatric eye injuries.

Author information

Author/s: Podbielski, Dominik W (DW); Surkont, Michael (M); Tehrani, Nasrin N (NN); Ratnapalan, Savithiri R (SR);

Affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie (Can J Ophthalmol), published in Canada. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Oct; vol 44 (issue 5) : pp 519-22

Dates: Created 2009/09/30; Completed 2009/10/22;

PMID: 19789585, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/22/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Can J Ophthalmol. 2009 Oct;44(5):501-3. (PMID: 19789579)

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