The epidemiology of eye injuries in Western Australia: a retrospective 10-year study

Eye injuries constitute a significant cause of preventable lifelong visual impairment or blindness. It is important to identify the context in which these injuries occur to develop intervention programs to reduce the incidence and severity of injury.

To evaluate the nature, external cause, place of occurrence and incidence rate of eye injuries treated at hospitals in Western Australia.

Retrospective, population-based study of patients presenting to all emergency departments or admitted to hospital with primary or secondary eye injuries between 2005 and 2014.

The combined incidence rate of eye injuries requiring tertiary care was 278 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 276-280). Significantly more males (79%, 44 569) presented to emergency departments (p < 0.001), and most injuries involved the cornea and conjunctiva (83%). The injury incidence rate was 248 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 246-250). A total of 2823 and 3951 individuals were admitted to hospital for a primary or secondary eye injury, respectively. The most frequent primary diagnosis on admission was contusion (19%). Assault (24%) was the most common cause of injury requiring inpatient treatment. Indigenous individuals were hospitalised for an eye injury at a rate of 109 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 102-116), compared to 27 (95% CI 26-27) for non-Indigenous individuals. Each year was associated with an increase in the mean number of eye injuries (7% and 5% for emergency department and hospital admission data, respectively).

Indigenous individuals and males experience eye injuries requiring tertiary management disproportionately. Indigenous female patients were conspicuously affected by eye injuries. Remedial intervention strategies should incorporate violence prevention as assault is a significant cause of eye injury.