Prevalence of Pediatric Ocular Trauma in Northern Iran; An Epidemiological Cross-Sectional Study

Ocular trauma is one of the most common causes of acquired blindness in children. The epidemiological parameters associated with ocular trauma vary in different populations, especially in children. The objective of this study was to assess the ocular trauma epidemiology in children less than 18 years of age. In this cross-sectional study, 145 children (under 18 years) with ocular trauma who referred to the emergency department of Bu-Ali-Sina Hospital in Sari, Iran were enrolled from November 2017 to January 2019. Of the participants, 57.9% were men, 70.4% had blunt trauma, 97.2% had a unilateral eye injury, and 54.5% had a right eye injury. The most risk factor for trauma was stationery (51.0%). Almost half of the patients (52.9%) had corneal injuries. The most trauma locations were at home (67.4%). Most patients (95.0%) had normal relative afferent pupillary defects. Blunt (52.6% vs. 47.4%) and penetrating (72.5% vs. 27.5%) traumas was higher in boys than girls (p=0.03). Most frequent part of eye injuries in blunt and penetrating traumas was related to the cornea (P=0.04). It seems that parents should have more supervision on children at home and give adequate education in using of stationery to school-age children by considering the results of present study.