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Pediatric eye injuries presenting to United States emergency departments: 2001-2007
Grayson W Armstrong1, Julia G Kim, James G Linakis
1Division of Ophthalmology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Insights
Pediatric eye injuries are common, with the highest risk for adolescents aged 15-17, often occurring at home. This study highlights the need for targeted prevention strategies for these specific demographics and locations to reduce eye injury incidence.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Pediatric eye injury epidemiology is not well-documented.
- This study addresses the characteristics of non-fatal eye injuries in US children.
- Emergency department (ED) visits are analyzed for children under 18.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the epidemiology of pediatric eye injuries.
- To identify demographic, causal, and dispositional factors of eye injuries in children.
- To inform prevention strategies for pediatric eye injuries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP).
- Data collected from 2001 to 2007 for patients under 18 years of age.
- Descriptive analysis of injury characteristics including demographics, location, diagnosis, cause, and disposition.
Main Results:
- An estimated 1,048,500 ED visits for pediatric eye injuries occurred between 2001-2007.
- Males accounted for 61.75% of visits, with the highest injury rate in the 15-17 year age group.
- Contusion/abrasion was the most common diagnosis (53.68%), often caused by being struck by an object (56.63%) at home (65.84%).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric eye injury risk is highest in adolescents aged 15-17 and occurs predominantly at home.
- Further research is needed to identify risk and protective factors for this demographic and location.
- Developing targeted prevention strategies is crucial for reducing pediatric eye injuries.
Background:
The epidemiology of pediatric eye injuries is not well-documented. This study describes the characteristics of non-fatal eye injuries in pediatric patients (<18 years of age) presenting to United States (US) emergency departments (EDs).
Methods:
Retrospective cohort study utilizing the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) from 2001 to 2007 to perform a descriptive analysis of eye injury case information for patients <18 years of age, including demographic variables, locales, diagnoses, causes, and hospital disposition.
Results:
In 2001-2007, an estimated 1,048,500 (95% confidence interval [CI] 878,198-1,218,801) ED visits for eye injury occurred among children less than 18 years of age, representing a rate of 14.31 per 1,000 children. Males accounted for 61.75% (CI 541,971-752,839) of visits. The rate of eye injury was highest in the 15-17 year old age group (18.74 per 1,000 children; CI 199,224-267,132). The most common diagnosis was contusion/abrasion (53.68%; CI 468,035-657,638). The most frequent cause of eye injury was being struck by or against an object (56.63%; CI 491,760-695,758). The majority of injuries occurred at home (65.84%; CI 382,443-588,416) and took place during the spring and summer (39.26%; CI 343,535-479,888).
Conclusion:
This study suggests that the risk for pediatric eye injuries is highest for adolescents 15-17 years of age and at home. Further research is needed to determine risk and protective factors associated with injuries in this age group and location to design appropriate prevention strategies.
