Injuries in marginal workers and social trauma in female: Important cause of the paradigm shift in eye injury over a decade

BACKGROUND: Changing profile of work force can give rise different types of injuries. PURPOSE: To analyse causative factors (Host-Agent-Event) in ocular trauma over last 15 years. METHODS: Hospital based prospective study during 1997-2012. Detailed information on nature of trauma; agent and setting were recorded. RESULTS: Cohort included 12365 eye injuries, 1241 serious cases. Prevalence – 0.45 /10000 Mean age 45.8 with bi- modal pattern of incidence, 3:1 male-female ratio. 80% closed globe, 48% workplace injury (90% in marginal labourers with an exponential annual increase). 10% cases from garage mechanics.60% of eye injuries in female were related to “social violence”. Multivariate analysis has detected new causative agents. CONCLUSION: Significant change in parameters of trauma (Host-Agent-Event) is resulting in paradigm shift in eye injury. Unorganised unaccustomed labour in workplace injury and “social trauma” in females has become an important cause of eye injury.