Bottom Line: Eye injuries that sent children to emergency departments in the United States decreased from 2006 to 2014, and most eye injuries posed low risk for vision loss.
Why The Research Is Interesting: Understanding the frequency of eye injuries and the associated likelihood of vision loss may help guide prevention efforts.
Who and When: More than 300,000 children up to age 17 who received care for an eye injury at an emergency department from 2006 to 2014.
What (Study Measures): eye injury (exposure); changes over time in the incidence of eye injuries, risk of vision loss and causes of eye injury to children (outcomes)
How (Study Design): This was an observational study. Researchers were not intervening for purposes of the study and cannot control all the natural differences that could explain the study findings.
Authors: Julie C. Leonard, M.D., M.P.H., Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, and coauthors
Results:
- Emergency department visits for eye injuries decreased 26.1% from 2006 to 2014; injuries commonly came from a hit to the eye
- Most injuries had low risk for vision loss
- Eye injuries cause by sports or household/domestic duties such as animal care increased; eye injuries related to motor vehicle crashes, guns and chemical or thermal burns decreased
Study Limitations: Data were gathered from emergency department billing data, which may not accurately indicate diagnosis codes.
Study Conclusions: This study demonstrated a decline in pediatric acute ocular injuries in the United States between 2006 and 2014. However, pediatric acute ocular injuries continue to be prevalent, and understanding these trends can help establish future prevention strategies.
To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.
(doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2018.2062)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
###
Journal
JAMA Ophthalmology