Ophthalmic Trauma: An Overlooked Global Cause of Preventable Blindness and Disability

Ophthalmic trauma is a substantial yet overlooked public health challenge, pertinent across all age groups, geographies, and socioeconomic statuses. Despite being largely preventable, it constitutes a major cause of monocular vision loss and long-term disability-adjusted life years among ophthalmic conditions, with a disproportionately high burden in low- and middle-income countries. Integrating original data from the International Globe and Adnexal Trauma Epidemiology Study (IGATES) registry, this hybrid perspective provides an overview of the global burden of ophthalmic trauma and emphasizes the urgent need for coordinated public health strategies focused on prevention and intervention.

Perspective and multinational retrospective descriptive cohort study using registry-based real-world data.

8238 patients with clinical evidence of ophthalmic trauma from 32 tertiary centers across 12 countries.

Data from 8238 patients with clinical evidence of ophthalmic trauma within the IGATES registry were analyzed, and descriptive statistics were utilized to characterize patient demographics, injury patterns, timing of presentation, and visual outcomes.

Primary outcomes included type and setting of trauma, duration to presentation, presence of eye protection, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at final follow-up.

In this 8238-patient cohort, 78.5% were male and the mean age was 31.4 years. Closed-globe injuries accounted for 56.9% of cases, whereas open-globe injuries comprised 34.0% of cases. Seventy percent of patients presented more than 12 hours after injury. Thirty percent had a final BCVA worse than 6/60 and 7.0% had no light perception. More eye injuries occurred at home than elsewhere (38.2%), followed by the workplace (19.4%) and road traffic accidents (8.8%). Eye protection was not worn in almost all cases (99.0%).

This perspective calls for a shift in framing, for ophthalmic trauma not to be treated as an isolated clinical issue but prioritized as a preventable public health concern. Opportunities, from strengthened legislation and enforcement to heightened community awareness and system-level preparedness, are further outlined to reduce the burden of ophthalmic trauma and enhance care.