[Serious fireworks-related eye injuries in Alsace (France)].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to review cases of serious fireworks-related eye injuries presented in the Strasbourg (France) University Hospital ophthalmology emergency department and to analyze epidemiological and clinical data such as visual outcomes and risk factors.


METHODS
A 13-year retrospective study (1994-2007) including fireworks-related ocular and adnexal injuries requiring hospitalization was conducted.


RESULTS
Thirty-nine patients were reported; 95% were male. The mean age was 19.38 years old. There was 61.5% contusions, 33.3% eye and adnexal burns, and 15.4% of the patients suffered from a penetrating injury. More than half of the patients required emergency ophthalmic surgical procedures. Twenty-six percent of the patients had final visual acuity of 20/400 or less.


CONCLUSIONS
Fireworks are a cause of severe eye injury in France. These injuries are potentially preventable, especially in young males.
Marsal
C
C
Service d'ophtalmologie, Nouvel hôpital civil, hôpitaux universitaires de Strasbourg, 1, place de l'Hôpital, 67091 Strasbourg cedex, France. caroline.marsal@chru-strasbourg.fr
Abry
F
F
Bouyon
M
M
Meyer
N
N
Bourcier
T
T
Speeg-Schatz
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult