Eye injuries in children: the current picture

Aims-To investigate the current causes and outcomes of paediatric ocular tr auma. Methods-A prospective observational study of all children admitted to hospi tal with ocular trauma in Scotland over a 1 year period. Results-The commonest mechanism of injury was blunt trauma, accounting for 65% of the total. 60% of the patients were admitted with a hyphaema. Injuri es necessitating admission occurred most frequently at home (51%). Sporting activities were the commonest cause of injury in the 5-14 age group. There were no injuries caused by road traffic accidents or fireworks. Patients w ere admitted to hospital for a mean of 4.2 days (range 1-25 days). One (1%) child had an acuity in the "visually impaired)) range (6/18-6/60) and one (1%) was "blind") (6/60) in the affected eye. No child was bilaterally blin ded by injury and none required blind or partial sight registration. Conclusion-This study has shown that the incidence of eye injuries affectin g children has fallen. The outcome of ocular trauma has improved significan tly, and for the first time paediatric injuries appear to have a better pro gnosis than injuries affecting adults.