Ocular injuries sustained at home in five metropolitan cities: a review of 5008 cases.

BACKGROUND: In Iran, ocular injuries sustained at home are a growing public health issue, and few studies have explored their prevalence and the frequencies of different causes of these injuries. We investigated the features of ocular injuries at home among children and adolescents (aged < 18 years), adults (18 - 64 years), and the elderly ( ≥ 65 years) in five metropolitan cities.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited individuals with ocular injuries sustained at home who presented to 12 public/teaching hospitals in five metropolitan cities during a 5-month period. Using clinical records within the emergency department archives, we collected the following data: age, sex, frequency of injuries requiring hospital admission or surgical intervention, and causes of eye injuries, documented as 1) cleaning products, 2) chemical products, 3) kitchen items, 4) cooking activities, 5) toys, 6) falls from height, 7) sports equipment, 8) penetrating or cutting, 9) abrasions, 10) foreign bodies, and 11) direct blows by other individuals.

RESULTS: Of 5008 participants from the five cities, 74% (n = 3711) were male and 26% (n = 1297) were female. The most frequent causes of injury among children and adolescents, adults, and the elderly were toys, kitchen items, and cooking activities, respectively. In children and adolescents, injuries were caused by kitchen items, toys, foreign bodies, and direct blows by other individuals more frequently than in adults or the elderly, and by cleaning products and abrasions more frequently than in the elderly (all P  < 0.05). In adults, injuries were caused by cleaning products, cooking activities, falls from height, sports equipment, penetrating or cutting, and abrasions more frequently than in children and adolescents or the elderly (all P  < 0.05), and by kitchen items, toys, and blows by other individuals more frequently than in the elderly (all P  < 0.05). In the elderly, injuries were caused by chemical products more frequently than in children and adolescents or adults, and by cooking activities, falls from height, and sports equipment more frequently than in children and adolescents (all P  < 0.05). In adults, the frequency of ocular injuries was significantly higher in Tehran and lower in Mashhad when comparing each with that of the other four cities (all P  < 0.05). We found a significantly higher frequency of ocular injuries by cleaning and chemical products in Tehran, by toys in Shiraz, by falls from height in Isfahan, and by direct blows by other individuals in Ahvaz when comparing each to that of the other four cities (all P  < 0.05). Regarding the prevalence of severe ocular injuries among the children/adolescent and adult age groups, conditions were relatively better in Shiraz and relatively unfavorable in Mashhad.

CONCLUSIONS: Ocular trauma was more common in male individuals and the younger age groups. Approximately half of the causes were kitchen items, toys, and foreign bodies, which are avoidable by enhancing public eye health awareness. The prevalence of severe ocular injuries in individuals aged < 18 years was high, highlighting the necessity of nationwide preventive strategies for pediatric ocular injuries.