Ocular trauma: An epidemiological study in a tertiary center

Background: According to the WHO, ocular injury results in 19 million people to become unilateral blind and 1.6 million to become bilateral blind. Ocular trauma constitutes a major part of preventable blindness. The following study was done to identify the demographic profile of the patients and nature of ocular trauma for developing acceptable methods for better management and early visual rehabilitation of patients. Aim: The aim was to study various demographic patterns and manifestations of ocular injuries. Methods: This hospital-based prospective study was carried out in the Department of Ophthalmology. One hundred cases of ocular trauma were included, and written consents were obtained. A detailed history specific to age, occupation, time of injury, type of object causing injury, and socioeconomic status of the patient was obtained through prestructured pretested pro forma. A detailed ocular examination along with a systemic examination was carried out. Results: In the present study, 24% of the cases were in the age group of 40–50 years. Sixty-five percent of the population was male. Thirty-one percent of the population presented within 24 h of trauma, 61% within 3 days, and 25% presented after 7 days. Ninety-five percent of the patients had unilateral trauma and 5% had bilateral trauma. Sixty-two percent of the patients had suffered from road traffic accidents, 25% had work-related trauma, whereas, in 13% of cases, trauma was at home. Blunt objects, foreign bodies, and sharp objects were the top three causes of trauma, accounting for 26%, 23%, and 15% of trauma cases, respectively; it was found that the anterior segment was involved in 74% of cases, the posterior segment in 4% of cases, and combined injury was in 22% of the cases. Conclusion: Most of the eye injuries can be prevented by educating people on various modes of ocular trauma, the need for early treatment, and importance of wearing safety eye gear. This study highlights on the epidemiology of ocular trauma as well as various preventive strategies.