Clinical profile and demographic distribution of ophthalmia nodosa: An electronic medical record-driven big data analytics from a multitier eye care network

PURPOSE: To describe the demographics and clinical profile of ophthalmia nodosa in patients presenting to a multitier ophthalmology hospital network in India. METHODS: This cross-sectional, hospital-based study included 3,082,727 new patients presenting between August 2010 and December 2021. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of ophthalmia nodosa in at least one eye were included as cases. The data were collected using an electronic medical record system. RESULTS: Overall, 434 (0.014%) patients were diagnosed with ophthalmia nodosa. Most of the patients were male (71.43%) and had unilateral (97.7%) affliction. The most common age group at presentation was during the third decade of life with 116 (26.73%) patients. The overall prevalence was higher in patients from a higher socioeconomic status (0.015%) presenting from the urban geography (0.019%) and in professionals (0.027%). The setae were identified and removed at presentation in 287 (66.13%) patients. The most common location of the setae was conjunctiva (45.72%) followed by cornea (39.64%). Most of the eyes (355; 79.95%) had mild or no visual impairment (<20/70). The most documented ocular signs were eye lid edema (35.81%), conjunctival congestion (73.87%), and corneal abrasion (29.05%). Less than one-tenth of the eyes required a surgical intervention for removal of the setae, corneal foreign body removal was performed in 10 (2.25%) eyes and conjunctival foreign body removal in four (0.90%) eyes. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmia nodosa more commonly affects males presenting during the third decade of life and is predominantly unilateral. The setae are most commonly lodged in the conjunctiva followed by the cornea, and the majority of the eyes have mild or no visual impairment.