Epidemiology of eye injuries in swimming and water sports presenting to United States emergency departments.

PURPOSE: To describe the demographics and diagnoses of swimming and water sports-related eye injuries (SWSEI) presenting to United States (US) emergency departments (EDs).

METHODS

The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was used to identify cases of eye injury related to swimming, pools, water sports, and associated equipment from 2013 to 2022. National injury rates were estimated using US Census data at the midpoint of the study (January 1, 2017).

RESULTS

The NEISS query provided 1156 SWSEI for analysis. This resulted in an estimated 42,472 (95 % confidence interval, 24,508-60,438) injuries, representing a rate of 1.3 injuries per 10,000 US residents. Most patients were male (50.9 %) and children (72.9 %). Most injuries occurred during summer months (68.9 %) and at recreation or other public centers (80.8 %). Most reported cases (46.9 %) had ocular irritation or inflammation (conjunctivitis, iritis, iridocyclitis) across all ages. Most injuries were from swimming (51.5 %), followed by irritation due to chlorine or other chemicals (12.5 %); 2.5 % of cases resulted in hospital admission.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that most SWSEI occurred in the pediatric population during the summer at public venues and resulted in ocular irritation or inflammation. Future research should evaluate the effectives of prevention strategies for SWSEI.