Pediatric Ocular Trauma during Eid Festivities in Yemen

Abstract

We sought to elucidate causes of ocular trauma in children younger than 17 years of age during the Eid festivities in Sana'a, Yemen. Methods: A prospective observational case series study was conducted in two tertiary emergency hospitals (Al-Thawra and Magrabi Hospital). The Eid Al-Fitr festive holidays in 2016 lasted 10 days from July 3 to 12. All children up to 17 years of age presenting with ocular trauma were included in the study. All patients underwent detailed history-taking and examination concerning ocular trauma. Results: One hundred sixty children presented to the two hospitals with ocular injury. All were males (100%). The mean ± standard deviation age was 9.59 ± 4.92 years (range, 4-15 years). The injury involved the right eye in 84 children (52.5%) and the left eye in 76 (47.5%) children. The majority of injuries (n = 152, 95.0%) had occurred in the street, while eight (5.0%) had happened at home. The most frequent cause of injury was toy guns and fireworks, while the most frequent findings were hyphema, corneal laceration, and corneal abrasion. Conclusions: The causes of ocular injuries are diverse and tend to vary by geographical area. In particular, their incidence can increase during holidays, especially long ones. Usually, eye injuries with toy guns result in significant trauma that requires medical intervention and hospitalization with potential long-term eye complications. Public health workers need to conduct health education program to alert parents and health professionals to the danger of such toys.

Ocular trauma in the pediatric age group: a systematic review

“…In our study, similar to previous studies, 33% of the injuries were caused by active fireworks [17]. In another study, despite the fireworks regulation law, it has been reported that eye injuries are on the rise, especially in relation to the increased use of fireworks during festivals [18]. Similarly, in our study, injuries related to the use of fireworks in weddings and celebrations, which increased in the summer months, were more common.…”

Ocular Trauma in Children

“…Next in line of frequency were those in the closed globe trauma category, including hyphema and cataracts. In addition, when compared with similar studies, we found conflicting remarks because several studies 1,4,10,23,24,26,28,39 had open globe trauma as the most common outcome from the insult, whereas several others 7,11,19,22,27,29,34,35 reported closed globe trauma to be the case, the most common manifestation of which was hyphema, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and ocular/adnexa contusion.…”

“…However, the presence of gun-induced injuries is a matter of deep concern. On the other hand, other studies have vastly contrasting reports, with either blunt [9][10][11]25,36,38 or sharp objects 2,7,31,32 being more common based on the region and the culture of the population the study was conducted on.…”

“…Annual hospitalization rates due to the injury are estimated to be approximately 3.7, 6.8, and 8.85 per 100,000 in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom, respectively 4–6 . However, such rates have been substantially higher in developing countries, including Yemen and Nepal 7,8 …”

Research progress of health care in Yemeni children during the war: review

“…All the subjects were males between 4 and 15 years old, and the injuries among the children involved the right eye (52.5%) and the left eye (47.5%). The majority of injuries (n = 152, 95.0%) had occurred in the street, while eight (5.0%) had happened at home, and the most frequent cause of injury was reported to be fireworks mishaps (Aldoais, Bamashmus et al, 2020). The preceding findings indicate that parent loss significantly increased during times of conflict and is substantially connected with child injury.…”