A high body mass index strengthens the association between the time of eye rubbing and keratoconus in a Chinese population: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Although body mass index (BMI) and eye rubbing are linked to an increased risk of keratoconus (KC), the interactive effect of eye rubbing and BMI on KC is largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the independent and interactive effects of BMI and eye rubbing on KC and to further explore the role of environmental factors on the occurrence of KC. METHODS: A total of 621 individuals (291 KC patients and 330 control individuals) were enrolled in this hospital­based study on KC patients in Central China after individuals missing BMI data were excluded. BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Data on eye rubbing was recorded through face-to-face interviews. Generalized linear regression models were used to analyze associations among BMI, eye rubbing and KC. Interaction plots were used to describe the interactive effects of BMI and eye rubbing on KC. RESULTS: The ß and 95% confidence interval (CI) were 0.923 (0.112, 1.733) (p = 0.026) and 3.356 (1.953, 4.759) (p < 0.001), respectively, for the effect of each 10 kg/m2 increase in BMI and each 1 min increase in eye rubbing on KC. The interaction of BMI and eye rubbing were positively correlated with KC (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that a high BMI aggravated the negative effect of eye rubbing on KC, implying that individuals with a high BMI may be more susceptible to exposure to eye rubbing, which is related to an increased risk of KC.

Scleral Lens Applications Focused on Korean Patients with Various Corneal Disorders.

PURPOSE: We aimed to report on the clinical outcomes of scleral lens applications in Korean patients with various corneal disorders. METHODS: This retrospective review was conducted for 62 eyes of 47 patients who had been fitted with scleral lenses for various corneal disorders. The patients were referred for inadequate spectacle-corrected visual acuity and rigid gas permeable (RGP) or soft contact lens intolerance. Uncorrected visual acuity, habitually corrected visual acuity, best lens-corrected visual acuity, topographic indices, keratometry indices, and lens parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-six eyes of 19 patients with keratoconus were enrolled. Other conditions included corneal scar (13 eyes of 12 patients), phlyctenules (three eyes), laceration (four eyes), chemical burn (one eye), keratitis (one eye), Peters' anomaly (one eye), fibrous dysplasia (one eye), ocular graft-versus-host disease (two eyes of one patient), irregular astigmatism (18 eyes of 12 patients), and corneal transplant status (five eyes of four patients). The mean topographic values of the eyes include flat keratometric value (43.0 ± 6.1 diopters [D]), steep keratometric value (48.0 ± 7.4 D), and astigmatism (4.9 ± 3.6 D). Of the eyes fitted with scleral lenses, best lens-corrected visual acuity (0.10 ± 0.22 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) was significantly better than the habitually corrected visual acuity (0.59 ± 0.62 logMAR, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Scleral contact lenses are a good alternative for patients with corneal abnormalities and those who are intolerable to RGP contact lenses, resulting in both successful visual outcomes and patient satisfaction, especially concerning keratoconus, corneal scar, and corneal transplant status.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of ocular injuries in pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Childhood eye injuries are one of the most common causes of acquired unilateral blindness. In this study, our purpose was to investigate the demographics, etiology, and outcome of pediatric patients with ocular injury. METHODS: The charts of children with ocular trauma who presented to Baskent University Hospitals, between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients who were under 16 years of age were included. Data were collected on age, sex, time of trauma, injury type, associated injuries, treatments, visual impairment, intraocular pressure (IOP), and ophthalmic sequelae. Ocular traumas were classified according to the Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology (BETT) system. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients were identified. Male-female ratio was 13/8. The mean age of the patients was 8.5±3.4 years. Mean post-treatment follow-up was 8.2±4.3 months. Injury was unilateral in all cases (10 right eye, 11 left eye). Fifteen patients (71.4%) had open globe, and 6 (28.5%) had closed globe injury. Type of injury was rupture in 7 cases, perforation in 5, penetration in 4, and intraocular foreign body in 4. A total of 5 cases were documented to have retinal detachment during the follow-up. Sharp injuries were documented in 11 (64.7%) cases, and blunt in 6 (35.2%). The most frequent finding was hyphema in blunt injury, and corneal laceration in perforating injury. Five patients had choroidal hemorrhage, 3 had commotio retinae, 2 had intravitreal hemorrhage, 1 had subhyaloidal hemorrhage, 1 had macular hole, and 1 had optic nerve avulsion. Lens aspiration was performed in 12 (57.1%) cases, and 2 of them had intraocular lens implantation. In children whose initial vision was able to be taken, 4 had no light perception, 7 had light perception-counting fingers, and 5 had best-corrected visual acuity of 0.05-0.3. At final visit, 61.9% of patients had a VA of 0.05-0.8. Corneal scar or leucoma was observed in 14 (66.6%) cases at last visit. One eye was enucleated due to post-traumatic endophthalmitis that did not respond to treatment. At final visit, IOP <6 mmHg was identified in 2 cases and >21 mmHg in 4. CONCLUSION: Anterior segment damage is the main cause of visual morbidity in pediatric ocular trauma. Injuries with sharp objects occur twice as often as blunt trauma and reduce vision with residual corneal scarring in about two-thirds of patients. Under-standing the pattern of eye injuries is useful in determining the strategies required to protect children's eye health.

Corneal Injury Risk Reduction During Sedation for Colonoscopy: An Evidence Based Practice Change.

PURPOSE: This evidence-based practice change project examined the use of supine positioning as a substitute for lateral positioning after sedation for endoscopic procedures for the purpose of preventing corneal injuries in this patient population. DESIGN: This study used a pre and post implementation design. METHODS: Retrospective data was collected over 12 months, including 4,422 endoscopic procedures for comparison to the prospective data collected after implementing the practice change, which totaled eight months and 3080 procedures. FINDINGS: Incidence rates for corneal injury and eye irritation were 0.158% before the practice change, with a decrease in incidence to 0.097% after the change. Using a two-sided Fisher's exact test, the results were not statistically significant (P => .05). Additionally, linear regression showed a slight downward trend with implementation; however, these results were also not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention did not have a statistically significant impact on the incidence of corneal injury. It is possible that more than one risk factor was contributing to corneal injury in this setting and the intervention only addressed one potential risk factor.

Collateral damage: Corneal injury due to mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic - A case series.

Though masks are the best shield against COVID-19, they can be a source of discomfort and ocular side effects. We discuss three cases of corneal injury due to mask use. Three patients, who were healthcare workers, presented with discomfort, photophobia, and pain in the eyes. While adjusting the mask, they had an ocular injury. There were multiple superficial linear abrasions in the eyes. They recovered with treatment. Though masks are imperative during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to be aware of a possible mask injury.

The Risks of Corneal Surface Damage in Aqueous-Deficient Dry Eye Disease: A 17-Year Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: To investigate the epidemiologic characteristics and risk of corneal surface damage in patients with aqueous-deficient dry eye disease (DED) in Taiwan. DESIGN: Retrospective, population-based cohort study. METHODS: We used claims data in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1997 to 2013 of patients with DED, defined according to diagnoses, drug codes, and clinical follow-up. A comparison cohort without DED was selected through propensity score matching. The main outcome measures were corneal surface damage, including corneal erosion, corneal ulcers, or corneal scars. RESULTS: Patients with DED had a significantly higher rate of corneal surface damage (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.38-3.06, P < .001), especially higher in patients aged <18 years (HR 6.66; 95% CI 3.58-12.41) than in older patients and in women (HR 2.98; 95% CI 2.57-3.46) than in men (HR 2.22; 95% CI 1.78-2.77), compared to those in the non-DED cohort. DED with diabetes mellitus (P = .002), rheumatoid arthritis (P = .029), or systemic lupus erythematosus (P = .005) was positively associated with corneal surface damage. The overall prevalence of DED was 7.85%, higher among women (10.49%) than men (4.92%), and increased with age (0.53%, 3.94%, 10.08%, and 20.72% for ages <18, 18-39, 40-64, and >65 years, respectively). The prevalence increased gradually during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The younger age group (<18 years) had the highest risk of corneal surface damage in aqueous-deficient DED. Other predisposing factors included female sex, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. To improve clinical care, special attention is required for patients with DED with these risk factors.

Real-Time Imaging of Incision-Related Descemet Membrane Detachment During Cataract Surgery.

Importance: Incision-related Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) is a common complication of cataract surgery. Most postoperative severe DMD that leads to corneal decompensation originates from intraoperative incision-related DMD. It is important to determine the incidence, extent, and associated risk factors of intraoperative DMD at each step of surgery to help in formulating precise and effective prevention strategies. Objectives: To investigate the intraoperative development of incision-site DMD associated with a 2.2-mm clear corneal incision during cataract surgery and to analyze its associated factors. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this case series, consecutive, prospectively enrolled 133 patients with cataract 50 to 90 years of age (133 eyes) undergoing coaxial 2.2-mm clear corneal microincision phacoemulsification with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation between January 1 and March 31, 2019, at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, were studied. Exposures: Coaxial 2.2-mm clear corneal microincision phacoemulsification with IOL implantation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Real-time incidence and extent of intraoperative incision-related DMD at each step of surgery. Results: Among 133 patients with cataracts (mean [SD] age, 72.3 [8.1] years; 77 [57.9%] female), DMD was encountered in 125 eyes (94.0%), occurring at the following steps: capsulorrhexis (2 [1.6%]), hydrodissection (7 [5.6%]), phacoemulsification (69 [55.2%]), irrigation-aspiration (44 [35.2%]), and IOL implantation (3 [2.4%]). The extent of DMD increased during the operation (mean [SD] difference between final and initial relative DMD length, 22.8% [1.4%]; 95% CI, 20.0-25.6; P < .001). Associations for the extent of DMD found in multivariate stepwise analyses included time of ultrasonography (ß = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.17-0.50; P < .001), equivalent mean ultrasonic power (ß = 87.8; 95% CI, 19.1-156.4; P = .01), and the presence of DMD at the anterior and posterior wound margins (coefficient = 16.7; 95% CI, 6.4-26.9; P = .002). Conclusions and Relevance: The results of this case series suggest that friction of surgical instruments has the greatest association with incisional DMD. Decreasing ultrasonic energy and phacoemulsification time may reduce the severity of incisional DMD.

Incidence and seasonality of major ocular trauma: a nationwide population-based study.

We designed this study to identify the epidemiological characteristics and trends of various types of ocular trauma in the population of the Republic of Korea. We conducted a nationwide, population-based, cross-sectional study using the Korean National Health Insurance claims database for January 2010 to December 2018. We compiled the monthly numbers of patients diagnosed with hyphema and those who received open reduction surgery due to orbital blowout fracture (BOF), primary closure of the cornea or sclera (PCCS), or intraocular foreign body (IOFB) removal. We obtained annual and monthly incidence rates, and differences according to age, sex, yearly trends, and seasonal variations. The incidence rate (per 100,000 person-years) was high in the order of hyphema (18.43), BOF (11.58), PCCS (1.99) and IOFB removal (0.39). Male predominance was evident in all types of major ocular trauma, but the age distribution varied with the type: hyphemas were most prevalent at 10-14 years of age, BOFs at 25-29 years of age, and open globe injuries (OGIs) at age 60 and older. Although all types of trauma showed significant seasonality, hyphemas (amplitude: 174.81) and BOFs (23.17) showed higher amplitudes compared to OGIs (PCCS: 11.96; IOFB removal: 6.72). While the incidence of blunt trauma injuries, including hyphemas and orbital BOFs, decreased steadily from 2010 to 2018, that of OGIs showed no remarkable change.

Etiological causes and epidemiological characteristics of patients with occupational corneal foreign bodies: A prospective study in a hospital-based setting in India.

Purpose: Corneal foreign bodies (CFBs) due to occupational exposure have been largely ignored in Indian literature, especially nonmetal workers. Our study looks at a broad range of occupations and settings that contribute to CFB in our local Indian population. The study objective was to: determine the occupations, level of education and demographics of patients presenting with CFB acquired during occupational work. Methods: Prospective hospital-based study at a tertiary eye hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, within duration of 9 months. Patients presenting with CFB were asked a set of questions relating to their occupation, level of education, understanding of the potential complications of CFB, and demographics. Results: A total of 83 patients were included in the study. CFB were attributed only to males. 66% of patients were in the age group of 14--29 years. 30% of patients were in the age group 30--44 years and 4% of patients were between 45 and 60 years old. The metal work industry was responsible for 47% of presentations. The construction industry was responsible for 27% of presentations. Electricians and carpenters combined were responsible for 10% of presentations and 17% of presentations occurred in other sectors. Conclusion: CFB occur across a number of occupations in the construction industry, not just metallic workers. Among a population that is generally poorly educated and have nominal understanding of the impact that CFB can have on vision, occupational hazard education is necessary to address this problem.

Debris Flow Syndrome: Injuries and Outcomes after the Montecito Debris Flow.

On January 9, 2018, a catastrophic debris flow devastated Montecito, California. A 30-foot wall of boulders, mud, and debris ran down the hillsides at 15 miles per hour injuring dozens and causing 21 prehospital deaths. A retrospective review was conducted of the victims from the debris flow presenting to Cottage Health. Injury patterns, procedures performed, complications, length of stay, and outcomes were analyzed. Twenty-four patients were evaluated; 15 were admitted. Of the patients admitted, the most common presenting symptoms were soft tissue injuries (100%), hypothermia (67%), craniofacial injuries (67%), corneal abrasions (53%), and orthopedic injuries (47%), as well as loss of an immediate family member during the incident (73%). Procedures included skin irrigation (93%), operative soft tissue debridement (47%), body orifice irrigation due to mud impaction (40%), and orthopedic repair of fractures and ligaments (40%). All survived to discharge. "Debris flow syndrome" can be defined as a pattern of injuries, including soft tissue injuries, hypothermia, craniofacial trauma, corneal abrasions, orthopedic injuries, and mud impaction. Managing the debris flow syndrome requires co-ordinated and specialized care.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Exposure Keratopathy Across Different Intensive Care Units.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of exposure keratopathy (EK) across different intensive care units (ICU) at Columbia University Medical Center, including the Pediatric ICU (PICU), Medical ICU (MICU), and Neurologic ICU (NICU). METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 65 patients were examined daily during their admission in the PICU (27 patients), MICU (15 patients), and NICU (23 patients). Data on eyelid position, conjunctival and corneal changes, Bell's and blink reflexes, medications, Glasgow Coma Scale rating, and ventilation type were collected. RESULTS: Overall EK percentages were as follows: PICU 19%, MICU 60%, and NICU 48%. The prevalence of EK was lowest in the PICU (P = 0.013). Factors associated with EK were lagophthalmos (P < 0.001), an absent Bell's reflex (P = 0.003), an absent blink reflex (P < 0.001), conjunctival injection (P < 0.001), a low Glasgow Coma Scale score (P < 0.001), intubation (P < 0.001), surgery before examination (P < 0.001), dialysis (P = 0.002), and administration of opioid (P < 0.001), sedative (P < 0.001), and neuromuscular blocking medications (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the rates and risk factors of EK across different ICU settings. The prevalence of EK was lowest in the PICU, which may partly be explained by the increased number of PICU patients receiving noninvasive ventilation and the absence of conjunctival chemosis.

Postoperative Corneal Injuries: Incidence and Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of postoperative corneal injury rates relied on provider-initiated incident reports, which may underestimate the true incidence. Postoperative administration of proparacaine eye drops is used almost exclusively to diagnose corneal injury; therefore, identifying instances of administration may provide a better estimate of corneal injuries. We compared proparacaine administration versus provider-initiated reports to determine rates of corneal injury. In addition, potential associations between clinical variables and injury were assessed with a matched case-control study. METHODS: The health records of 132,511 sequential adult postanesthesia recovery room admissions (January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2017) were reviewed to identify postoperative proparacaine administration and incident reports of corneal injury. Patients with corneal injury were matched with control patients at a 1:2 ratio to assess factors associated with injury. RESULTS: Proparacaine drops were administered to 442 patients (425 patients received proparacaine for diagnosis and 17 patients received proparacaine for unrelated reasons). Incident reports identified 320 injuries, and the aggregate corneal injury count was 436 (incidence, 3.3 injuries [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.0-3.6] per 1000 cases of general anesthesia). Proparacaine administration had a greater case ascertainment percentage than incident reporting (97.5% vs 73.4%; P < .001). The matched case-control analysis found greater risks associated with longer duration of anesthesia (odds ratio, 1.05 [95% CI, 1.03-1.07] per 10 minutes of anesthesia; P < .001) and nonsupine surgical position (odds ratio, 3.89 [95% CI, 2.17-6.98]; P < .001). Patients with injuries also had more evidence of sedation and agitation during anesthesia recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Calculation of incidence by using the administration of a medication (proparacaine eye drops) that is almost exclusively used to diagnose a specific injury (corneal injury) showed higher case ascertainment percentage than incident-reporting methods. Similar strategies could be used to monitor the rates of other adverse events.

Penetrating keratoplasty in patients with traumatic corneal scarring.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the results of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) due to trauma-related corneal scarring. METHODS: We evaluated 24 eyes of 24 patients who underwent PK due to trauma-related scarring of the cornea between May 2010 and June 2016. The postoperative visual acuity, graft transparency, and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: The patients were divided into two groups. In group 1, 14 eyes of patients with traumatic corneal scars and retinal detachment underwent PK, pars plana vitrectomy, and intravitreal silicone administration with the help of temporary keratoprosthesis. Group I included five females and nine males with an average age of 39.15+-13.32 (min 8-max 73) years. An intraocular foreign body was removed from five of the eyes. The mean visual acuity was 3.01+-0.013 (3.10-1.00) logMAR after the surgery, 1.36+-0.23 (3.10-0.80) at the postoperative first month, and 1.18+-0.03 (3.10-0.70) at the end of the first year after the removal of keratoplasty sutures. During the follow-up of patients, two eyes (14.2%) lost light sensation, eight eyes (57.1%) developed postoperative glaucoma, nine eyes (64.2%) had graft rejection, and one patient (7.1%) developed keratitis. In one eye (7.1%), the cornea was scraped using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid due to silicone-related band keratopathy. In group 2, ten eyes with trauma-related corneal scars underwent PK. This group included two females and eight males with an average age of 29.23+-12.03 (11-63) years. The mean visual acuity was 2.98+-0.68 (3.10-1.00) logMAR before the surgery, 0.58+-0.22 (1.80-0.30) at the postoperative first month, and 0.50+-0.17 (1.80-0.10) at the end of the first year. One eye (10%) with iridodialysis developed glaucoma. Rejection was not seen in any of the patients. A statistically significant difference was observed in both groups with regard to visual acuity before operation, at 1 and 12 months after operation, and at 12 months for graft transparency rates (p=0.015, p=0.021, p=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: In cases of eye injuries due to trauma, the eyes subjected to combined vitrectomy and PK had poor visual prognosis and high graft rejection rate compared to those subjected to PK as the only treatment.

Corneal and conjunctival injury seen in urgent care centres in Israel.

PURPOSE: Corneal and conjunctival injuries (CCI) comprise a large portion of the cases presenting to hospital-based emergency departments (ED) with ocular involvement. Urgent Care Centres (UCC) offer community based emergency care at lower cost than hospital-based emergency departments (ED) and with greater temporal convenience than primary care office settings. While CCI prevalence and treatment at hospital-based EDs has been well studied, this is the first report, to our knowledge, on CCI demographics and aetiology presenting to UCCs. METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. The setting is a UCC system in Israel, modelled on USA urgent care facilities, consisting of 17 branches at the time of the study. Electronic medical record data (between November 1, 2015 and October 31, 2016) of patients diagnosed with corneal disorder, foreign body or eye disorder were retrieved and reviewed for inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data collected included gender, age, chief complaint, diagnosis, treatment and discharge status (sent home or referred to ED). International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes were assigned to each record based on a review of all fields. UCC results were compared to all ED patients in Israel using data from a public report. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 602 074 charts screened, 4797 patients presented with CCI (0.8%). The average age was 32.6 ± 18.2 years and 71.3% were male. Among these, 26.4% were referred to the ED compared to 6.8% from the entire UCC cohort. ICD-9 code Foreign body (FB) of the eye was the most common cause of CCI (56.5%) followed by the following ICD-9 codes: trauma (18.1%), chemical in the eye (11.1%) and corneal disorder due to a contact lens (5.1%). Logistic regression analyses showed the following risk factors for ED referral: age (22-64), male gender, ICD-9 code FB, work-related injury and the presence of a clinical abrasion in the eye. CONCLUSIONS: The aetiology of ocular injury at UCC is similar to previous studies of ED. Most CCI can be treated at UCC saving ED resources and underscores the importance of this mode of health care delivery in the overall health system.

Microbial characteristics of post-traumatic infective keratitis.

PURPOSE: To determine the demographics, risk factors, clinical and microbiological characteristics, and treatment outcome of post-traumatic infective keratitis. METHODS: Consecutive patients with post-traumatic infective keratitis presenting to the Ophthalmology Department of a tertiary referral hospital in Singapore between March 2012 and March 2016 were prospectively identified. A standardized data collection form was used to document patient demographics, microbiological diagnosis, antibiotic sensitivity, and pretreatment and posttreatment ocular characteristics. Any contact lens-induced keratitis was excluded from the study. RESULTS: In total, 26 patients were included for analysis. The mean age was 40.0 years (SD ± 19.4) and 84.6% of the patients were male. The majority of the patients (69.2%, n = 18) had sustained work-related injury in their eyes. Gram-negative organisms were predominant isolates (75.0%, n = 12) in culture-positive corneal scrapings (n = 16). Pan-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the commonest organism isolated among the culture-positive cases (56.2%, n = 9). Three patients (18.7%) had developed fungal keratitis and Acanthamoeba was isolated in 1 patient (6.2%) with polymicrobial keratitis. Infections resolved with medical treatment in 22 eyes (84.6%) and 4 eyes (15.3%) required therapeutic corneal transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: A shift of practice in post-traumatic infective keratitis should be considered in tropical countries to include Gram-negative cover. Work safety practices with vigilance in initiating treatment and education by front-line physicians such as ophthalmology and general practitioners should be reinforced.

Paediatric ocular and adnexal injuries requiring hospitalisation in Western Australia.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of ocular and adnexal injuries requiring hospitalisation in children in Perth, Western Australia. METHODS: This is a hospital-based retrospective review of children admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for Children with diagnoses of ocular and/or adnexal trauma from 2002-2013. Hospital charts were reviewed for demographic information, injury and management details, follow-up and visual outcome. Final visual acuity was categorised into three groups: 6/12 or better, from 6/12 to 6/60, worse than 6/60. Ordinal logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios and predicted probabilities for each category of final visual outcome. RESULTS: Over the 12-year time period, 482 children were admitted with ocular or adnexal injuries - an average of 40 admissions per year. The mean age of the cohort was 7.1 years (range 0.09 to 16.47 years) with a male to female ratio of 2.6:1.0. There were 185 closed-globe injuries, 72 open-globe injuries and 293 adnexal injuries. Fourteen per cent of the cohort sustained a combined globe and adnexal injury. Children in the up to five-year age group were most susceptible to injury. Eighty-two per cent of the group had a final visual acuity of 6/12 or better. Factors associated with poor visual outcomes included younger age (p < 0.01), open-globe injury (p < 0.01) and lens injury (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the outcomes of our review, paediatric ocular and adnexal trauma are significant causes for hospital attendance in childhood. Identifying associated risk factors will help develop injury prevention strategies to promote eye safety for children.

Ocular trauma is an important cause of unilateral visual impairment worldwide. According to Nepal blindness survey (Brillinat et al, 1985), it accounted for 2.4% of blindness, and in another community based study (Upadhyay M et al, 2001), the prevalence of ocular trauma was observed to be 0.7%. The Bhaktapur Eye Study confirms that "corneal trauma leading to ulceration" is the second most common cause of blindness after cataract in Nepal.

Ocular trauma is an important cause of unilateral visual impairment worldwide. According to Nepal blindness survey (Brillinat et al, 1985), it accounted for 2.4% of blindness, and in another community based study (Upadhyay M et al, 2001), the prevalence of ocular trauma was observed to be 0.7%. The Bhaktapur Eye Study confirms that "corneal trauma leading to ulceration" is the second most common cause of blindness after cataract in Nepal.

Childhood corneal blindness: a retrospective study in a tertiary eye hospital of eastern region of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Studies from Nepal show that most of the cases of unilateral childhood blindness are due to corneal causes. It was also observed that these corneal causes were mostly preventable or treatable. OBJECTIVE: to study the patterns of corneal diseases in a pediatric out-patient department of a hospital in the eastern region of Nepal. METHODS: A retrospective study of the patients who presented to the pediatric department of our hospital in the year 2014 was done with the help of the data received from the hospital recording system. Detail examination of every case was done in the out-patient-department of the hospital by pediatric ophthalmologists. Patients with only corneal disease were included, and those with corneal disease along with other ocular disease were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Of 20,250 patients examined in the pediatric department over a one year period, 1911(9.4%) presented with isolated corneal problems. Keratitis and corneal ulcer were found in 47.8% of them. Corneal trauma was present in 5.6% and vitamin A deficiency leading to corneal opacity and keratomalacia was seen in 0.06% of the cases. Corneal blindness was observed in 66 eyes (bilateral in 3 cases). No case of trachoma or congenital corneal disease was observed. CONCLUSION: Childhood corneal blindness is mostly due to preventable and treatable causes.