Orbital and ocular trauma at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria: A retrospective review

Background: Orbital and ocular trauma is a major cause of monocular blindness and visual impairment worldwide. The department of ophthalmology of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) only existed at the old Kaduna hospital prior to the full functional take off at the new Shika hospital complex. With the number of orbital/ocular trauma cases and resulting complications on the increase in the eye clinic, a review to determine the incidence, as well as management protocol will lead to improvement in the treatment and visual outcomes of future cases. Aim: To determine the incidence of orbital/ocular trauma in ABUTH, Shika-Zaria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study involving the analyses of all case files of patients who had orbital trauma and were treated at the eye clinic, ABUTH, Shika-Zaria between January 2006 and December 2007. A detailed protocol was used for data entry. Results: A total of 142 (1.8%) patients with orbital/ocular trauma were seen over a period of 2 years. The male to female ratio was 3:1. The age range was 4 months to 65 years. A unimodal age pattern was observed with peak occurrence in those 16-30 years (33.1%), closely followed by age group 0-15 years (32.4%). Individuals most commonly involved in orbital/ocular trauma were students (32.4%), while the home (42.3%) was the most common location where injury occurred. Mild blunt trauma (49.3%) was the most common diagnosis, followed by severe blunt trauma (30.3%). Severe and mild penetrating injury occurred in (16.2%) and (4.2%) of the patients respectively. Conclusion: An important cause of ocular morbidity presenting at the eye clinic of the ABUTH, Shika-Zaria is orbital/ocular trauma. Factors associated with increased occurrences of orbital/ocular trauma include younger age, male gender, being a student, and domestic and road traffic accidents. More care should be provided at school play grounds, and adequate supervision should be given to vulnerable groups in homes. Road safety rules and guidelines should be enforced on the highways.