title: Ocular traumatology in children. A retrospective study.
abstract: OBIECTIVE: This study assesses the descriptive epidemiology of children with eye injuries presenting to the Emergency Department of a non exclusive Paediatric University Hospital - First Division of Ophthalmology of "Sapienza" University of Rome - over a period of 12 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective long term study of 12 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  All paediatric patients (up to 14 years of age) presenting with ocular injuries and hospitalized.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was analyzed the incidence of the ocular trauma among males and females. The situation in which the trauma occurred, type of trauma (contusive or perforating), the presence of endo-bulbar foreign bodies, visual acuity outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 203 patients who presented to the Emergency Department in the period examined. Contusive traumas were 130 (90 males, 40 females). The perforating trauma were 73 (63 males, 10 females). The presence of an endo-bulbar foreign body was registered in 10 patients. A detailed analysis of the causes of the trauma is therefore provided. We evidence that males were almost exclusively involved in sport traumas (60 males versus 2 females), and in second instance accidental trauma is almost equally divided between two genders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our retrospective study presents the paediatric cases of a non exclusive Paediatric University Hospital where 3% of ocular traumas requiring hospitalization were in children. Therefore our data could be useful in order to bring about the necessary preventive measures to minimize paediatric eye injuries.
authors.affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malagola
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arrico
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Migliorini
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grenga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003288:Contusions / Q000453:epidemiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005129:Eye Foreign Bodies / Q000453:epidemiology; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D015807:Eye Injuries, Penetrating / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006760:Hospitalization; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids