Eye injuries in children and adolescents: a report of 205 cases.

ABSTRACT

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 2.51. 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. CONCLUSION: 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.