Incidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Characteristics of Traumatic Iritis: A Population-Based Analysis

Purpose: To describe the incidence, mechanisms, and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with traumatic iritis in a U.S. Midwestern county population. Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort of all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota diagnosed with traumatic iritis from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2015. The medical records of patients with traumatic iritis were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project database, which contains virtually all medical care in the county. Medical records were reviewed for demographics, presentation, and follow-up data. Incidence rates were calculated per 100,000 per year. Results: There were 156 incident diagnoses of traumatic iritis during the 10-year study period, yielding an age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of 10.7 per 100,000 per year. Traumatic iritis disproportionately occurred in male (p < 0.001) and Black (p < 0.001) patients. The mean age of diagnosis was 33 years (range: 4-96 years), mean number of traumatic iritis-specific follow-up visits was 2.1 (range: 0-26), and median duration of traumatic iritis-specific follow-up was 11 days (range: 1 day-1.6 years). There were 155 (99.4%) patients with unilateral disease. The most frequent mechanisms of traumatic iritis were sports-related (N = 29, 18.6%), assault-related (N = 23, 14.7%), scratch (N = 22, 14.1%), and work-related (N = 21, 13.5%) injuries. The mean initial and final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the affected eye was 20/40 and 20/30, respectively. Loss of follow-up was more frequently observed in Black patients (p < 0.001) and patients with smoking history (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Traumatic iritis was most frequently observed in younger males and Black patients. Common mechanisms included sports, assault, scratch, and work-related injuries.