Pediatric Ocular Trauma From A Tertiary Public Hospital in Colombia: Epidemiological Characterization

BackgroundEye injury is a serious public health problem being in the world, that causes unilateral blindness, a particular condition in children due to the functional impact and psychosocial implications. The eye injury can be prevented thanks to the identification of risk factors associated with the socio-cultural context, this aspect has motivated studies in the pediatric population in United States, India, Australia, Cuba, Egypt, United Kingdom, Brazil, Colombia, Marathwada and Canada, among others. So the objetive of the present study is to describe the sociodemographic and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric eye injury and its effects on ocular structures in a tertiary public hospital from Colombia.MethodA retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017, in a tertiary public hospital of a medium-sized city located in the Northeast of Colombia. Children under 15 years old with trauma to the eyeball or its adnexa were included. The Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology System (BETTS) was used. Eye burns and Ocular adnexa were also included.Results61 cases of eye injuries were recorded, 67.21% (41 cases) of which were males. 57.37%(35 of the cases) corresponded to closed-globe injuries both contusion and lamellar laceration. Visual acuity fluctuated between 20/20 and 20/40. 14.75% (9 cases) were Open-globe injuries while 50% (4 cases) were penetrating trauma. 27.86% of the injuries (17 cases) did not directly compromise the eyeball, 58.82% (10 of these cases) of which corresponded to eyelid wounds, and neither of those had the visual acuity informationConclusionThe study showed that the majority of eye traumas are closed globe, caused by