Significant increase of firework induced eye injuries in Germany and The Netherlands- are we doing enough to protect minors and bystanders?

IF 2.4 3区 医学 Q2 OPHTHALMOLOGY
Ameli Gabel-Pfisterer, Stefan Johann Lang, Daniel Boehringer, Hansjürgen Agostini, Lotte C de Geus, Jan Tjeerd de Faber
{"title":"Significant increase of firework induced eye injuries in Germany and The Netherlands- are we doing enough to protect minors and bystanders?","authors":"Ameli Gabel-Pfisterer, Stefan Johann Lang, Daniel Boehringer, Hansjürgen Agostini, Lotte C de Geus, Jan Tjeerd de Faber","doi":"10.1007/s00417-024-06677-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>After 2 years of pandemic sales ban, on New Year`s Eve 2022/23 consumer firework articles were officially available again in Germany and the Netherlands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the Netherlands we prospectively and anonymously collected data on patients treated for firework induced eye injuries from 2009 on, in Germany since 2016.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Around New Year ́s Eve 2022/23 the number of patients with firework inflicted eye injuries increased in the Netherlands to 133 and in Germany to 838. In both countries the participation of eye departments was 90%. The incidence of firework induced eye injuries in the Netherlands was 0,8 /100 000 in 2022/23, in Germany 1,0 /100 000 in 2022/23. Comparing age groups of minors with firework induced eye injuries, in the Netherlands, total numbers of children below 12 years was lower than total numbers of adolescents between 12 and 17 years. Yet, in Germany from 2016 on every year, total number of children below 12 years were higher than total number of adolescents. The number of patients who reported on being injured as bystander was between 34% in 2020/21 and 53% in both countries.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>While the incidence of firework induced eye injuries in the Netherlands was reduced due to awareness campaigns and regulatory work, the incidence was increasing on the first New Year`s Eve after the pandemic regulations of consumer fireworks in Germany. Especially young children below 12 years need more protection in Germany. In both countries, effective measures of protection need to be implemented for protection of bystanders, whose numbers were low during the first pandemic years.</p><p><strong>Key messages: </strong>What is known: overrepresentation of affected minors below 18 years and a rate of up to 50% of injured bystanders according to our data collection over 15 years in the Netherlands and 7 years in Germany What is new: In 2022/2023, total numbers of patients with fire work induced eye injuries in the Netherlands and Germany increased significantly after 2 years of pandemic regulations with a sales ban of consumer fire work articles In 2022/23, incidence of firework induced eye injuries is 1/100 000 in Germany, 0,8/100 000 in the Netherlands Among affected minors in Germany school children up to 12 years are at higher risk than adolescents.</p>","PeriodicalId":12795,"journal":{"name":"Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-024-06677-6","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"OPHTHALMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: After 2 years of pandemic sales ban, on New Year`s Eve 2022/23 consumer firework articles were officially available again in Germany and the Netherlands.

Methods: In the Netherlands we prospectively and anonymously collected data on patients treated for firework induced eye injuries from 2009 on, in Germany since 2016.

Results: Around New Year ́s Eve 2022/23 the number of patients with firework inflicted eye injuries increased in the Netherlands to 133 and in Germany to 838. In both countries the participation of eye departments was 90%. The incidence of firework induced eye injuries in the Netherlands was 0,8 /100 000 in 2022/23, in Germany 1,0 /100 000 in 2022/23. Comparing age groups of minors with firework induced eye injuries, in the Netherlands, total numbers of children below 12 years was lower than total numbers of adolescents between 12 and 17 years. Yet, in Germany from 2016 on every year, total number of children below 12 years were higher than total number of adolescents. The number of patients who reported on being injured as bystander was between 34% in 2020/21 and 53% in both countries.

Conclusions: While the incidence of firework induced eye injuries in the Netherlands was reduced due to awareness campaigns and regulatory work, the incidence was increasing on the first New Year`s Eve after the pandemic regulations of consumer fireworks in Germany. Especially young children below 12 years need more protection in Germany. In both countries, effective measures of protection need to be implemented for protection of bystanders, whose numbers were low during the first pandemic years.

Key messages: What is known: overrepresentation of affected minors below 18 years and a rate of up to 50% of injured bystanders according to our data collection over 15 years in the Netherlands and 7 years in Germany What is new: In 2022/2023, total numbers of patients with fire work induced eye injuries in the Netherlands and Germany increased significantly after 2 years of pandemic regulations with a sales ban of consumer fire work articles In 2022/23, incidence of firework induced eye injuries is 1/100 000 in Germany, 0,8/100 000 in the Netherlands Among affected minors in Germany school children up to 12 years are at higher risk than adolescents.

求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
CiteScore
5.40
自引率
7.40%
发文量
398
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Graefe''s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology is a distinguished international journal that presents original clinical reports and clini-cally relevant experimental studies. Founded in 1854 by Albrecht von Graefe to serve as a source of useful clinical information and a stimulus for discussion, the journal has published articles by leading ophthalmologists and vision research scientists for more than a century. With peer review by an international Editorial Board and prompt English-language publication, Graefe''s Archive provides rapid dissemination of clinical and clinically related experimental information.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信