Hospitalized Ocular Injuries Among Persons with Low Socioeconomic Status: A Medicaid Enrollees-Based Study

Abstract

Medicaid enrollees represent a unique subgroup of the U.S. population and their rate of hospitalization for ocular injury is significant. Sociodemographic characteristics, including gender, age, and Medicaid eligibility group, need to be taken into consideration when developing appropriate eye injury prevention initiatives.

Ocular traumas in working age adults in Finland – Helsinki Ocular Trauma Study

“…This represents all adult eye traumas referred to ophthalmology care in the area serving 1.5 million population as the HUEH is practically the sole secondary or tertiary referral ophthalmology hospital. Hospitalization incidence in our study was 6/100 000, (n = 57), very similar to other studies (4.9-15.2/ 100 000) (Tielsch et al 1989;Klopfer et al 1992;Fong 1995;Desai et al 1996a,b;N egrel & Thylefors 1998;Chen et al 2006;Cillino et al 2008). In contrast, the overall incidence of eye injuries of adults, 88/100 000, was much less than in some comprehensive other studies 310-2090/100 000 (Karlson & Klein 1986;Glynn et al 1988;Wong et al 2000;Gordon 2012).…”

A five-year retrospective study of the epidemiological characteristics and visual outcomes of patients hospitalized for ocular trauma in a Mediterranean area

“…The average annual rate of eye injuries found in the Western Sicily health district, is similar to rates reported in other industrialized countries [ 28 , 29 ]. Our rates of eye injuries are less than those reported by Tielsch et al [ 6 ] in Maryland in 1989 (13.2 per 100,000), Klopfer et al [ 9 ] in the United States in 1992 (13.2 per 100,000), and Chen et al in Michigan in 2006 (12.0 per 100,000) [ 27 ]. This difference may be related to the higher threshold for hospitalization in closed globe injury.…”

“…Estimates of the rate of ocular trauma are highly dependent on its definition and the source of data [ 6 , 9 , 10 , 26 , 27 ]. However, from a public health perspective, sight threatening injuries are those of greatest concern.…”

Epidemiology and visual outcomes of ocular injuries in a low resource country

“…Worldwide, ocular injuries have become a public health concern as they constitute a preventable cause of ocular morbidity and unilateral visual impairment, 1,2 particularly in developing countries. 3,4 Not only do ocular injuries create significant morbidity but they also impact the socioeconomic status of a country greatly.…”