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Paediatric ocular trauma in kuching, sarawak, malaysia
Ak Tan1, Ps Mallika1, T Asokumaran2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Malaysia. (Tan Aik Kah, Mallika Premsenthil ).
Insights
Paediatric ocular trauma is a significant cause of vision loss in children, often occurring at home due to preventable injuries. Education is key to preventing these eye injuries.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Paediatric Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Paediatric ocular trauma is a critical concern, contributing to visual impairment in children.
- Understanding the demographics, causes, and outcomes of eye injuries is essential for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the demographic characteristics, etiological factors, injury types, and outcomes of paediatric ocular trauma.
- To identify the primary settings and causes of eye injuries in children presenting to a tertiary care center in Malaysia.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study of 118 eyes from 117 patients aged 12 years or younger.
- Data collection spanned 36 months (January 2006 to December 2008) for first-time presentations of ocular injuries.
Main Results:
- The average age of affected children was 6.1 years, with a higher incidence in boys (65.8%) and pre-schoolers (58.2%).
- Most injuries occurred at home (p<0.05) and were caused by sharp objects (38.1%), with 87.3% deemed preventable.
- Visual outcomes were poor, with only 28.8% of eyes experiencing no visual impairment.
Conclusions:
- Paediatric ocular trauma is a major cause of vision loss, frequently occurring in domestic settings and being preventable.
- Preventive measures, particularly through public education, are crucial for reducing the incidence of childhood eye injuries.
Purpose:
To evaluate the demography, aetiology, type and outcome of paediatric ocular trauma in tertiary centre in Malaysia.
Method:
We retrospectively studied 118 eyes from 117 patients over a period of 36 months (January 2006 to December 2008). All ocular injuries in patients aged 12 and below seen in the Ophthalmology Department for the first time were included in this study.
Results:
Mean age of patients was 6.1±3.0 years. 68 cases (58.2%) occurred in pre-school children, whereas 49 (41.9%) in school-aged children. Boys accounted for 65.8% of cases. There was no predilection for either right or the left eye. 47% of cases (56 patients) occurred in Malay. Most of the injuries took place at home when the children were alone (p<0.05). Sharp objects were the commonest cause (45 cases, 38.1%). The majority of cases (103, 87.3%) were considered preventable. The frequency of open and closed globe injury was similar. Hyphema was more common in closed globe injury compared to open globe injury (p<0.05). Other associated injuries such as cataract, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal hemorrhage are similar between the two groups. Visual outcome is generally poor with only 34 eyes (28.8%) had no visual impairment.
Conclusion:
Ocular trauma in children is an important cause of visual loss. Most cases occurred at home and were preventable. Prevention through education is the best approach.
