Severe ocular injuries in Greek children

Abstract

Objective To determine the epidemiological characteristics of severe eye injuries in childhood, in a mixed urban and rural Greek setting. Methods Retrospective analysis of 95 cases (103 eyes) of eye injuries in children younger than 17 years of age admitted to the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Patras, Greece, during a five-year period. The data were analyzed with respect to age, sex, type, cause and mode of injury, method of management, duration of hospitalization and final visual deficit. Results The average age was 9.8 years and males were involved 80% of the cases. The most common type of eye injury was mechanical closed-globe injury (71.8%). Mechanical open-globe injuries were found in 21.3% of the eyes, while burns comprised 6.7% of the injuries. Most injuries were agent-related, with blows and falls being responsible most often. Multiple operations were part of the treatment in 11.6% of the eyes; 14.5% of the eyes were blinded and 15.5% had significant final visual acuity loss. Conclusions These hospital-based data suggest that there is a need for health education of both parents and children, since some injuries in children could easily have been prevented.