A five-year retrospective study of the epidemiological characteristics and visual outcomes of patients hospitalized for ocular trauma in a Mediterranean area
2008

Epidemiology and Visual Outcomes of Ocular Trauma in Southern Italy

Sample size: 298 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Cillino Salvatore, Casuccio Alessandra, Di Pace Francesco, Pillitteri Francesco, Cillino Giovanni

Primary Institution: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Ophthalmology Section, Palermo University, Italy

Hypothesis

To determine the epidemiological characteristics and visual outcome of ocular trauma in southern Italy.

Conclusion

Ocular trauma is a significant cause of visual loss in the population studied.

Supporting Evidence

  • Most injuries occurred in men (84.6%).
  • The average age of injured men was 33.0 years.
  • 16.8% of eyes had an intraocular foreign body.
  • Final visual acuity was better than 20/200 in 86.6% of eyes with hand motion vision or better.
  • Initial visual acuity correlated with final visual acuity (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.658).
  • The incidence of eye injuries was 4.9 per 100,000.

Takeaway

This study looked at people who got hurt in their eyes in southern Italy and found that many of them lost their vision because of it.

Methodology

The study reviewed all cases of ocular trauma admitted to the Department of Ophthalmology of Palermo University from January 2001 to December 2005.

Potential Biases

Possible treatment selection bias may have affected the results.

Limitations

The study is retrospective and may underestimate the true prevalence of ocular trauma due to loss of minor cases.

Participant Demographics

The majority of injuries occurred in men (84.6%) with an average age of 35.6 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0005

Confidence Interval

95% CI, 4.8–5.0

Statistical Significance

p<0.0005

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2415-8-6

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