Evaluation of Ocular Trauma Cases Presenting to the Emergency Department

OBJECTIVES: Despite advances in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, ocular traumas still continue to affect cases' future quality of life levels. In the present study, we aimed to determine the involving risk factors and lay out solutions for prevention of such traumas, by evaluating the ocular traumas presented to our emergency department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cases admitted to our emergency department between January 1st and December 31st, were included. The following information belonging to the cases were obtained from hospital archive records: age, gender, occupational group, trauma mechanism, duration between trauma and admittance. RESULTS: We were able to reach records of 81 cases. While 62(76.5%) of cases were male, mean age was 27.3 perpendicular to 17.4 years. The most common place where injuries had taken place, were workplaces by 38 cases(46.9%). While 25 cases (30.9%) had open eye injury, 56(69.1%) had closed injury. Corneal abrasion was the most common injury type among closed injuries by 19(33.9%) cases. Corneal laceration was the most common injury type among open eye injuries by 15(60%) cases. CONCLUSION: Ocular traumas occur mostly among children-young people age group and laborers as a result of preventable causes. We think that in addition to the precautions, education of the patients is also important to decrease the injuries.