title: Major pediatric ocular trauma in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate major pediatric ocular trauma in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of medical records of all patients 15 years and younger who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of eye injury at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan, between June 1988 and May 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 156 children (156 eyes) 1.1 to 15.0 years (mean+/-standard deviation, 7.1+/-0.3 years; boy: girl ratio: 2.1:1). Objects most often causing penetrating injury were scissors (13.5%), pencils/pens (12.2%), broken eyeglasses/spectacles (7.7%), and knives (6.4%). Most blunt trauma occurred in traffic accidents (5.8%). Most injuries occurred at home, followed by on the street, at school, and at sports venues. Injuries were classified as open globe (71.2%), adnexal only (18.6%), or closed globe (10.3%), and included corneal laceration (40.4%), lens damage (27.6%), hyphema (25.6%), and eyelid laceration (23.7%). Most surgical procedures were primary repair (88.5%) or removal of a damaged lens (22.4%). Additional surgery was performed in 19.9% of cases. After treatment, 56.4% of eyes had corneal opacity/scar and 7.1% became phthitic; 52.6% had good visual outcome, whereas 23.1% had poor final vision. Compared with visual acuity measured on admission, final visual acuity was improved in 76.1%, unchanged in 19.7%, and worse in 4.3%. Predictors of worse outcome were open-globe injury and larger wound size, posterior segment involvement, and presence of an intraocular foreign body.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the children hospitalized for major ocular trauma are younger boys with penetrating injuries suffered at home. Most injuries could have been prevented by increased awareness and reduction of risk factors, and the authors urge better public education for improved safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mei-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yi-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Sung-Huei
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Hon-Chun
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Fu-Chin
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Min-Hsiu
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Sheng-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Po-Hsiu
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014792:Visual Acuity