Eye injuries in children and adolescents: a report of 205 cases.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the causes, place, type and visual outcome of eye injuries necessitating hospitalization in children and adolescents.


METHODS
Consecutive patients with eye injuries aged <18 years admitted to a tertiary hospital over an 18-month period.


RESULTS
Two-hundred-five patients were hospitalized because of eye injuries over the study period. One-hundred-forty-six (71.2%) were males and 59 (28.9%) were females, for a ratio of 2.5:1. Preschool children made up 14.1% of the cases and 63.9% were in school, while 9.8% were apprentice artisans. Fewer than 23.4% (n=48) patients presented within 24 hours of injury. Injuries sustained at home occurred in 97 cases (47.3%) and at school in 44 (21.5%). Of the 54.6% of whose injuries were inflicted by others, 24.9% were inflicted by adults while meting out corporal punishment. Pointed objects (43.8%) and missiles (25.8%) were the common causative agents of injuries. Such agents were belts, canes, sticks, cutlasses and hoes. Penetrating eye injuries were the commonest type of injury (40.5%), followed by contusions (31.7%). Final visual outcome was < or = 6/60 in 88 (48.4%). Most eyes with poor visual outcome had penetrating injuries. Seventy-four (40.7%) had visual acuity > or = 6/18 and 8 eyes had evisceration.


CONCLUSIONS
Eye injuries in children and adolescents admitted to this tertiary hospital were severe. They occurred mostly at home and school and in circumstances that could be avoided. Health education and legislation could reduce the burden of injury-related blindness in the study area.
Ashaye
Adeyinka O
AO
Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. adeyinkaashaye@yahoo.com
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity