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Paediatric eye injuries during a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown
Maria Franchina1, Magda Blaszkowska1, Joel Lewis2
1Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia.
Insights
During COVID-19 lockdown, accidental pediatric eye injuries remained frequent, with closed-globe injuries being most common. Continued public education on in-home eye injury prevention is crucial.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Eye injuries are a major cause of childhood visual impairment.
- Understanding injury patterns is vital for prevention strategies.
- The COVID-19 pandemic prompted investigations into its impact on healthcare presentations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess accidental and non-accidental pediatric eye injuries during the COVID-19 lockdown in Western Australia.
- To compare injury frequency and nature with pre-pandemic presentations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for pediatric patients with ocular injuries.
- Inclusion of patients presenting to emergency departments and ophthalmology clinics.
- Comparison of data from March-August 2020 (lockdown) with March-August 2019 (pre-pandemic).
Main Results:
- Accidental pediatric eye injury presentations did not significantly differ during lockdown, despite overall emergency department attendance decrease.
- Closed-globe injuries (64%) were the most common type of accidental eye injury.
- Referrals for suspicious injuries to the Child Protection Unit decreased during lockdown.
Conclusions:
- In-home accidental pediatric ocular and adnexal trauma remained a significant reason for hospital visits during the Western Australian COVID-19 lockdown.
- Ongoing public education on preventing in-home eye injuries is recommended.
- The findings highlight the continued need for vigilance in pediatric eye injury prevention, even during public health crises.
Clinical Relevance:
Eye injuries, both accidental and non-accidental, are a significant cause of long-term visual impairment in children. An understanding of when and how such injuries occur is key to development of adequate prevention strategies.
Background:
To evaluate accidental and non-accidental eye injuries in children presenting to the major tertiary emergency department and outpatient ophthalmology clinic in Western Australia during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown and to determine whether the frequency or nature of these injuries differed from pre-pandemic presentations.
Methods:
Retrospective review of the medical records of paediatric patients presenting to the emergency department and specialist ophthalmology clinic with an ocular injury and those presenting to the hospital Child Protection Unit with physical injuries during March-August 2020 and the same period in 2019.
Results:
There was no significant difference in the total number of accidental eye injury presentations during the lockdown period despite a significant decrease in emergency department attendance overall. Closed-globe injuries were the most common accidental eye injury presentation during lockdown (70/110, 64%), followed by adnexal injuries (39/110, 35%) and open-globe injuries (1/110, 1%). In contrast, referrals to the hospital Child Protection Unit for suspicious injuries declined during lockdown.
Abstract:
Although eye injury presentations have changed in other parts of the world since the start of the pandemic, during COVID-19 lockdown in Western Australia, accidental paediatric ocular and adnexal trauma sustained at home continues to be a significant cause for hospital attendance. Public education regarding in-home eye injury prevention must be ongoing.
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