title: Work-related, penetrating eye injuries in rural environments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the aetiology and visual outcome after penetrating eye injures in rural environments.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of 182 patients (184 eyes) with penetrating eye injuries treated in the 1 st Eye Hospital, Lublin, Poland, between 1994 and 2002, were reviewed. Twenty eight of the 184 eyes (15.6 %) were work-related agriculture penetrating eye injuries. Distribution by age, sex, season variation, cause of injury, place of entrance wound, visual acuity and late complications were estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the group of 28 patients, 24 (85.7 %) were male and 4 (14.3 %) female, with the age range between 11-76 (mean 48.2) years. Most injuries were a result of repair and maintenance work in 35.7 %, wood chopping in 25 %, machine use in 17.9 %, simple instruments use in 10.7 %, fall from one level to another in 7.1 %, and cow butting with a horn in 3.6 %. Eighteen eyes (64 %) were blind with visual acuity less than 0.05 at their most recent review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study has shown that perforating ocular injuries in rural environment are still a big therapeutic, social and economic problem.
authors: 1st Eye Hospital, Medical University of Lublin, Poland. jmack@panaceum.am.lublin.pl
authors: Jerzy
authors: J
authors: Mackiewicz
authors: Eulalia
authors: E
authors: Machowicz-Matejko
authors: Monika
authors: M
authors: Sałaga-Pylak
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Piecyk-Sidor
authors: Zbigniew
authors: Z
authors: Zagórski
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000592:standards; D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015807:Eye Injuries, Penetrating / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*