Ocular Trauma Trends during COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Public Health
• Trauma Care

Background:

• Ocular trauma remains a significant cause of vision loss globally.
• Understanding demographic and clinical characteristics of eye injuries is crucial for effective management.
• The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges to healthcare access and delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the demographics and clinical features of ocular trauma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic versus a pre-pandemic period.
• To assess the impact of the COVID-19 era on injury-to-treatment time and visual outcomes in ocular trauma.
• To identify specific injury types and patient groups most affected by the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study comparing ocular trauma patients from two periods: COVID-19 era (March-September 2020) and a similar non-COVID-19 period.
• Data collected from Ampang Hospital's Eye Casualty Clinic in Malaysia.
• Statistical analysis to compare patient demographics, injury characteristics, treatment times, and visual outcomes.

Main Results:

• Male adults aged 21-40 years constituted the majority of ocular trauma cases.
• Workplace injuries, particularly from welding, were most common.
• The COVID-19 era showed significantly longer injury-to-treatment times (P=0.030).
• Patients during the COVID-19 era had a higher incidence of severe visual impairment at presentation (8% vs 3.56%, P=0.047) and post-treatment (7% vs 1.58%, P=0.007).

Conclusions:

• Ocular trauma predominantly affects young to middle-aged males, with workplace incidents being a major cause.
• The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with delayed treatment and worse visual outcomes for ocular trauma patients.
• Findings underscore the need for continued vigilance and adapted care strategies during public health crises.