Severe ocular injuries that required hospitalization: a retrospective survey from a regional eye referral center

Abstract

Aim: To profile the incidence and severity of ocular injuries in Hong Kong.

Materials and methods: A 4-year retrospective survey of all patients (n = 149) admitted to the Caritas Medical Centre between January 1995 and December 1998 with ocular trauma as the principal diagnosis.

Results: The mean age was 38.6 years and the male to female ratio was 3.52:1. The most common causes of ocular injuries were work-related events (43.6%) and assault (12.8%). Others included falls (12.1%), non-work-related and domestic accidents (12.1%), sports and recreational events (8.7%), traffic accidents (8.1%), human contacts (1.3%), and injuries by animals (1.3%). 62 patients (41.6%) had a poor visual outcome with visual acuity less than 6/12 in the injured eye and, in this group, 38 (25.5% of the total) became blind in the injured eye.

Conclusions: Ocular trauma is an important cause of preventable and predominantly monocular visual morbidity and blindness. Appropriate health education and safety strategies should be implemented in the future.