Emergency department treated eye injury in San Diego County

Purpose: The majority all eye injuries in the United States are treated in either private physician's offices or emergency departments (ED). Eye injuries are an important cause of visual impairment, and most are preventable through appropriate use of protective eyewear. The purpose of this study was to examine and discuss eye injuries sustained by ED patients.

Methods: The study population included all patients treated and discharged from a San Diego County ED with an eye injury from 2006-2007. Eye injuries were identified by searching all twenty-five fields for diagnostic codes provided in records of ED discharges. Rates were calculated according to age, sex and race/ethnicity and characteristics of the injury were described.

Results: There were 11,308 patients treated and discharged from the ED for an eye injury (183/100,000 population). Rates were highest among adults ages 20-24 (265/100,000) and children ages 0-4 (228/100,000), among males (237/100,000), and among Blacks (217/100,000). Twenty-five percent of injuries were due to being unintentionally struck by an object or person and the most common injury types were abrasions (33%) and contusions (22%) of the eyeball and adnexa. Ten percent of injuries occurred during a work-related activity, and 9% of injuries among patients ages 0-24 occurred during a sports/recreation activity.

Conclusions: Young adults and males had the highest rates of ED treatment for eye injury. ED physicians should be trained to discuss the use of protective eyewear to prevent future occurrences. Information obtained from ED data is important for documenting the public health impact of eye injury.