Pattern of eye trauma among pediatric ophthalmic patients in upper and lower Egypt: A prospective two-center medicolegal study.

Abstract

Background: Ocular trauma is the leading cause of monocular blindness in children. This study aimed to identify and compare pediatric ocular injuries at two national university hospitals: Benha University Hospital (BUH) and South Valley University Hospital (SVUH) while evaluating the predictive utility of the Ocular Trauma Score (OTS) for post-traumatic permanent visual infirmity.

Design and methods: This multicenter observational study enrolled children under 18 years at BUH and SVUH Ophthalmology Departments from May 31 to December 31, 2022. Comprehensive medical histories and detailed data on eye trauma were obtained, with each undergoing thorough eye examinations at the initial presentation and during the 6-month follow-up period. The final visual outcome was permanent visual infirmity that was defined as the Best Corrected Visual Acuity in the better eye worse than 3/60 or near vision worse than N6 according to the International Classification of Diseases 11.

Results: The study included 120 cases evenly distributed between the two hospitals, with a mean age of 10.03 (±3.30) years, 74.17% male and 51.67% urban residents. Blunt, sharp, and foreign objects were the most common causes (39.17%, 33.33%, and 11.67%, respectively). Closed-globe injuries prevailed at BUH (83.33%) than SVUH (40.0%). Most injuries were accidental and outdoors, with an average interval of 9.93 (±23.57) hours to seek medical care. Lack of education, open-globe injuries, poor initial visual acuity, longer intervals from admission to intervention, and lower OTS were associated with visual impairment.