title: [Epidemiology of eye injuries in Abidjanian children].
abstract: Eye injuries, most of them preventable, are particularly severe in Africa, because of the risks of infection and delay in treatment. We report a 16-month (March 1997-June 1998) prospective observational survey of eye injuries in children up to the age of 15 years at Treichville-Abidjan University Hospital. During this period, 62 children were treated for these injuries. Ocular traumas represented 4% (n = 245) of new admissions in ophthalmology, and 29% of these injuries occurred in children. The sex ratio was 5:2 boys to girls, and their mean age was 8.66 +/- 3.56 years. Eye injuries occurred most often during play (84%, n = 52). More than 85% (n = 53) of children were alone or without adult supervision at the time of the injury. The causal agent was most often wood (35%) followed by metal (29%). The mean time from injury to hospital admission was 1.8 +/- 0.77 day. Only 19% of patients were admitted the day of injury. Most patients (66%) first sought treatment in a primary care centre. More than 70% (n = 44) of injuries necessitated hospitalisation. Open eyeball wounds were the most common injury (53%) and were associated with endophthalmitis in 16%. The mean recovery of visual acuity was 0.1. At admission, 40 of the injured eyes (64.5%) had monocular blindness; six recovered, for a final blindness rate of 55%. Injuries associated with wooden objects had a final blindness rate of 77% and play-related injuries 63%. The primary posttraumatic sequelae were corneal scars. Eyeball phthysis (14.5%) was secondary to 8 open wounds of the eyeball and one postcontusion retinal detachment. Eye injuries remain a major cause of monocular blindness in children in Cote d'Ivoire. Most of them can be prevented by relatively simple measures including supervision of children and rapid hospitalisation when injury occurs.
authors.affiliation: Centre hospitalier universitaire de Treichville, 01 BP V3 Abidjan 01 Côte d'Ivoire.
authors.forename: Adama
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mensah
authors.forename: Adama
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fany
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adjorlolo
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Touré
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasieu Gbe
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mihluedo
authors.forename: A J W
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Coulibaly
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bérété
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003288:Contusions / Q000150:complications; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire / Q000453:epidemiology; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005129:Eye Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D015807:Eye Injuries, Penetrating / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000209:etiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity