Pediatric Eye Trauma in the Republic of Tajikistan: More Than Meets the Eye

Ocular Trauma in Children: An Epidemiological Study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the epidemiology of eye injuries in children and the influential factors involved.

METHODS

Eighty cases of confirmed ocular trauma were included in this cross-sectional study. Data were obtained via a checklist containing demographic information, site of the insult, the interval between the injury and physician visit, trauma mechanism, and medical history, including previous history of ocular trauma.

RESULTS

Among 80 children with ocular trauma, 72.5% (n = 58) were boys. A marked preponderance (46.2%) of injuries was seen in the age group younger than 6 years. The youngest patient was a 1-year-old, and the oldest was aged 17. Most (76.25%) of the incidents occurred indoors. A total of 67.5% of accidents were induced by sharp objects (knife and glass). Most accidents occurred in spring, whereas the least number of accidents occurred in winter. The corneoscleral laceration was the most common manifestation, followed by the laceration of the iris, uveal prolapse, hyphema, and cataracts. Furthermore, rare cases of retinal detachment, hypopyon, and corneal epithelial defects were seen.

CONCLUSIONS

The highest incidents of ocular trauma occurred in boys, especially those younger than 6 years. The high number of sharp object injuries is also concerning. These findings provide us with evidence that further educational interventions and supervision are required in these groups to minimize the possible devastating injuries before the opportunity even arises.

Damage to the eye and optic nerve in seriously traumatized patients with concomitant head injury: analysis of 84,627 cases from the TraumaRegister DGU® between 2002 and 2015

BACKGROUND

To determine the prevalence and characteristics of prechiasmatic visual system injuries (VSI) among seriously injured patients with concomitant head trauma in Europe by means of a multinational trauma registry.

METHODS

The TraumaRegister DGU® was searched for patients suffering from serious trauma with a Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) ≥ 3 between 2002 and 2015 in Europe. After excluding cases without significant head injury defined by an AIS ≥ 2, groups were built regarding the existence of a concomitant damage to the prechiasmatic optic system comprising globe and optic nerve. Group comparisons were performed with respect to demographic, etiological, clinical and outcome characteristics.

RESULTS

2.2% (1901/84,627) of seriously injured patients with concomitant head trauma presented with additional VSI. These subjects tended to be younger (mean age 44.7 versus 50.9 years) and were more likely of male gender (74.8% versus 70.0%) compared to their counterparts without VSI. The most frequent trauma etiologies were car accidents in VSI patients (28.5%) and falls in the control group (43.2%). VSI cases were prone to additional soft tissue trauma of the head, skull and orbit fractures as well as pneumocephalus. Primary treatment duration was significantly longer in the VSI cohort (mean 23.3 versus 20.5 days) along with higher treatment costs and a larger proportion of patients with moderate or severe impairment at hospital discharge despite there being a similar average injury severity at admission in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial proportion of patients with head injury suffers from additional VSI. The correlation between VSI and prolonged hospitalization, increased direct treatment expenditures, and having a higher probability of posttraumatic impairment demonstrates the substantial socioeconomic relevance of these types of injuries.

The Impact of Primary Treatment on Post-Traumatic Endophthalmitis in Children with Open Globe Injuries: A Study in China

Post-traumatic endophthalmitis (PTE) is considered as one of the most serious complications after open globe injuries (OGIs), especially in children. Poor prognosis of this disease can lead to a variety of socioeconomic problems. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of pediatric OGIs and the factors associated with the development of PTE in China. 131 patients under 14 years old and needed hospitalization for management of OGIs were enrolled. There were 90 males and 41 females. 44 patients were left-behind children, the majority were 3–6 years old (n = 71, 71/131, 54.2%) and living in rural area (n = 106, 106/131, 80.9%). After injury, 82 patients received primary repair within 24 h, with the remaining 49 patients receiving primary repair after 24 h. Eventually, there were 28 (28/131, 21.4%) patients presented with PTE. In those 49 patients, the frequency of PTE achieving 32.7% (16/49). Univariate analysis showed that the timing of primary repair is significantly associated with the development of PTE (p < 0.05). Moreover, left-behind children took higher risks in having delayed treatment that over 24 h after OGIs (OR = 2.466, 95% CI: 1.16–5.26). Reducing the time before primary repair is a useful strategy to prevent the development of PTE. Special supervision is needed for pre-school-aged boys living in rural areas, especially for left-behind children.