Epidemiology of pediatric ocular injuries in Poland: cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Ocular trauma in children results in long-term visual impairments and affects the child's physical and psychosocial development. The variability in age, gender, and socio-environmental factors significantly determines their epidemiology. Consequently, this study aimed to characterize ocular injuries in children in Poland.

METHODS

This retrospective, observational study included patients up to 18 years old, admitted to the Emergency Department of the Regional Specialized Children's Hospital in Olsztyn, Poland, between June 2015 and December 2023, with diagnosed eye or orbital injury. Cases were categorized based on injury mechanism, tool utilized, and perpetrator. The decrease in visual acuity was divided according to ICD-10 - WHO.

RESULTS

Among 590 patients, 66.61% were males, mostly aged 5 to 9 years (32.37%). An active mechanism was responsible for most cases (77.97%), primarily involving the use of objects other than blunt, with a significant proportion of injuries being self-inflicted. Animal-inflicted injuries were most often observed among females. Males most frequently necessitated surgical procedures through active mechanisms. A decrease in visual acuity was observed in 121 cases (20.51%), with blindness diagnosed in 11 patients, mostly males, resulting from an active mechanism. Six of them did not fully recover their vision. Nineteen patients (3.22%) sustained open globe injuries, and two cases (0.34%) of brain injuries were documented.

CONCLUSIONS

Eye injuries constitute a diverse category of trauma, often constrained only by the child's creativity and age. These injuries predominantly occur in young males through active mechanisms. While the majority do not result in permanent vision impairment, they frequently cause a temporary reduction in visual acuity.