Comparison of ocular trauma between normalized and the COVID-19 epidemic periods in China: a multi-center cross-sectional study

Abstract

AIM: To compare the feature of ocular trauma between normalized period and the COVID-19 epidemic period in China, and to provide a profile for eye injuries in special times in future. METHODS: This is a multi-center cross-sectional study with 30 participated hospitals involving the China Ocular Trauma Society members. All hospitalized cases who visited the Ophthalmology Department in participated hospitals with eye injuries during the normalized period (2019) and the COVID-19 epidemic period (2020) were included in this study. Demographic characteristic of cases, date of injury, sites and types of injury were collected. RESULTS: This study involved 13 525 (61 cases with both eyes) injured cases. There were 7269 (53.74%) eye-injured cases and 6256 (46.26%) eye-injured cases in 2019 and 2020 separately. Compared with 2019, the incidence of ocular trauma in retirees, housewives and unemployed increased with year-on-year of 4.96%, 102.67%, and 11.64% among all occupations. In 2020, the incidence of eye injuries decreased in all injury sites except for an increase in home (30.29% year-on-year). The incidence of mechanical eye injuries decreased, while that of non-mechanical eye injuries (chemical/thermal/radiation) increased (47.45% year-on-year). There were 255 (3.51%, 255/7269) and 376 (6.01%, 376/6256) non-mechanical injured cases in 2019 and 2020 (Pearson Chi2=47.33, P<0.001) separately. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 epidemic period, the total cases of ocular trauma decrease but the proportion of non-mechanical ocular trauma increase. Penetrating is still the highest proportion among all types of mechanical ocular trauma. From a preventive point of view, protection for retired persons, housewives and unemployed persons should be improved during public health events period.

The global incidence and disability of eye injury: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

“… 7 Previous studies have indicated that an increase in both the age-standardised rates (ASR) of incidence and number of years lived with disability (YLDs) from eye injuries due to intraocular foreign bodies are going to present a global health challenge. 8 , 9 In addition to foreign body injuries, there are many causes of eye injuries, such as explosive eye injuries, 10 road traffic injuries, 11 mechanical or non-mechanical eye injuries (chemical/thermal/radiation), 12 and even self-inflicted injuries. 13 However, the incidence of and burden from eye injury have not been reported, and there has been no information regarding age-, sex-, spatial-, and temporal patterns of eye injury worldwide.…”