Epidemiology of childhood globe injuries

Aim: To evaluate the epidemiological, clinical features and treatment outcomes of children admitted to our clinic due to globe trauma. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 57 eyes of 57patients between 0-16 years of age who were presented to ophthalmology clinic of our hospital between 01.01.2014 and 01.07.2017. Patient data were identified by searching patient’s examination files. Patient data extracted included age, sex, location and type of trauma (open/closed), visual acuity at the time of presentation and final was recorded using the Snellen’s visual acuity chart. Details of slit lamp examination including fundus examination were noted. Results: The study included 57 children, 37 (64,9%) boys and 20 (35,1%) girls. The mean age of the children was 7.63 ± 4.27 (1-16). Children were divided into three age groups: 0-5 years (infant and kinder garden), 6-10 years (primary school) and 11-16 years (middle school). The highest incidence of injuries was 42.1% (n = 24) among children in the 6-10 age group of them were followed up by children between 0-5 years (33,3%, n=19) and 11-16 years (24,6%, n=14). Compared to all age groups, the number of boys exposed to trauma was statistically significantly higher than girls (p = 0.02). The patients were admitted to our hospital, 26 (45.6%) open and 31 (54.4%) closed globe injuries. Conclusion: Although most eye injuries can be prevented by simple measures, most children exposed to trauma suffer visual impairment that can seriously hamper their psychosocial development. If simple precautionary measures are applied, most of the accidents can be avoided