Epidemiology of Open Globe Injury in Children at a Tertiary Hospital in Jordan.

Purpose: To study the epidemiology of open globe injury (OGI) in children and highlight the risk factors associated with these injuries and suggest targeted protocols and strategies to minimise its occurrence.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of all paediatric OGI cases presenting to our unit between Jan 2014 and Jan 2018. Clinical records were reviewed, and demographic data was collected and analysed for age, gender, place of occurrence, mechanism of injury, type of trauma, and direct cause of injury. Clinical data including presenting visual acuity, type of injury, number of operations, complications, and final visual acuity were also recorded.

Results: A total of 67 cases were identified, but 8 cases were excluded due to lack of complete data. Fifty-nine eyes of 59 patients were included, of whom 31 (53%) involved the left eye and 46 patients were males (78%). The mean presenting vision was 1.7 ± 1.05 Log MAR (Median 1.8; IQR 2.2), and the mean vision at 12 months was 0.8 ± 1.13 Log MAR (Median 0.3; IQR 0.7) with the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.001). Mean age was 9.34 ± 4.35 (range 3-16) years and, in most cases (78%), the mechanism of injury was due to a sharp object. The most common places where injuries occurred were home settings (42%) and neighbourhood areas (36%), whereas schools were not found to be common places for injury.

Conclusion: We identified epidemiological features of OGI in children in our community that may help local authorities and health education teams reduce its incidence. Discouraging the use of sharp objects by young children, especially in home settings, requires more public awareness strategies. Community and healthcare services may consider these findings useful for implementing local strategies and protocols to prevent and reduce the occurrence of such devastating injuries.