Open Eye Injuries in the Pediatric Population in Kuwait

Abstract

Objective: To report the epidemiological characteristics of pediatric open globe injuries and to discuss treatment, management and outcomes of such injuries. Materials and Method: The hospital records and operative notes of 95 patients 16 years old and younger who were treated for open eye injury at Ibn Sina Hospital, Kuwait between September 1995 and January 1999 were reviewed. The average age of patients was 6.6 years. Patients were divided into three groups according to their final visual acuity (FVA): group 1, FVA of 20/40 or better; group 2, 20/40–20/200, and group 3, 20/400 or worse. The FVA of each group was compared to initial visual acuity (IVA), wound entry site, injury-to-presentation interval, injury-to-surgery interval, time of surgery, duration of surgery, associated injuries and medical treatment. Results: Injury was most common in children 3–6 years old. Most injuries occurred during play at home (46%), between the months of July and November (58%), and evening time (42%). The most common causes were glass, pencil, stick, soft drink bottle, metal bar, and stone. The cornea was the most common entry site (59 cases). Seventy-three patients presented on the day of injury, and 38 of them had surgical repair that same day. The follow-up period ranged from 2 weeks to 58 months. Thirty-eight patients (40%) had an FVA of 20/40 or better (group 1), 23 (24%) between 20/40 and 20/200 (group 2), 12 (13%) 20/400 or worse (group 3), and 22 (23%) had no record of FVA. The difference between IVA and FVA of wound entry site was statistically significant (p < 0.005). Differences due to injury-to-presentation interval, injury-to-surgery interval, time of surgery, duration of surgery, associated injuries, and the use of systemic antibiotics were found not to be statistically significant (p > 0.2). Conclusion: The prevalence of open globe injury among the pediatric population in Kuwait was high. Most injuries were due to household objects and occurred at home in the evening during the summer and autumn. IVA and anatomical location of the wound impacted on final outcome.

Open Globe Injury in Children

“…It was also reported that game-related accidents were the most common cause of pediatric OGIs. Consistent with the literature, in 58.3% of cases, game-related accidents were found to be responsible for the OGI in our study (6)(7)(8)(9). The most common causative objects of the injuries were glass and pencil in this study.…”

“…The results of the studies regarding which eye is more commonly affected in OGIs suggests that pediatric OGI affects both eyes at similar rates (1,7,8,12,13). In our study, we showed only a slight difference between the right and left eyes.…”

Animal-inflicted ocular and adnexal injuries in children: A systematic review

“…2,18,82,146 Overall, less than 5% of eye injuries in children are caused by animals. 13,38,40,57,80,90,96,108,118,124,133,144 Eye injuries caused by insects, predominantly ophthalmomyiasis, are the most widely reported. Dogs are the animals most likely to cause adnexal injuries in children, with a predilection for canalicular injury.…”

Ocular Trauma Score as a predictor of final visual outcomes in traumatic cataract cases in pediatric patients

“…Recurrent inflammation was more prominent in patients who had previous surgery for trauma. 8,9 When the ocular medium appeared hazy due to inflammation of the anterior vitreous, a capsulectomy and vitrectomy were performed via an anterior-pars plana route.…”