Impact of the COVID-19-induced lockdown on the incidence of ocular trauma presenting to a tertiary care hospital

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of lockdown and unlock phases mandated in view of COVID-19 on the incidence and characteristics of ocular trauma presenting to a tertiary care hospital. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study was carried out as a hospital record based retrospective comparative analysis on patients presenting with ocular trauma in the lockdown period (March–July 2020) compared with the same time frame of the previous year considered as prelockdown period (March–July 2019) and during the unlock phases (August–December 2020). RESULTS: Overall, the casualty department saw 464 patients of ocular trauma in the prelockdown period, 173 in the lockdown and 253 in unlock. The study showed a 44% reduction in patients visiting the casualty department for trauma during the lockdown compared with prelockdown, and a 62% reduction specifically in ocular trauma. The unlock phase showed a 21% reduction in ocular trauma compared with prelockdown and a 41% increase compared with the lockdown. In all three phases, the majority of people affected by ocular trauma were middle aged males from a rural background, sustained by assault. The lockdown saw a decrease in outdoor assaults (45%) and road traffic accidents (22%). Trauma sustained by females (18%) increased in the lockdown, as did home-based assaults (150%) and sexual assaults. The presentation of trauma, especially road traffic accidents and outdoor assaults saw a steady rise during the unlock. CONCLUSION: The lockdown mandated by the government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the trends of trauma presenting to healthcare facilities. There was a decrease in the overall number of patients approaching the casualty during the lockdown. However, during the lockdown, there was an increase in home-based trauma as opposed to outdoor assaults being the primary cause of trauma prior to the lockdown.