Epidemiology of Sports-Related Eye Injuries Among Athletes in Tianjin, China

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of sports-related eye injuries among athletes in Tianjin, China.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from March 2018 to October 2018. In this study, the athletes from Tianjin University of Sports, Tianjin Vocational College of Sports, and Tianjin provincial sports teams were selected for general investigation. In total, 1,673 athletes were invited and 1,413 participated in the study (response rate of 84.5%).Results: In total, 1,413 athletes were enrolled; 151 had suffered from sports-related eye injuries, with an incidence of 10.7% (95% CI: 9.1–12.0%). Handball (38.5%) was the sport with the highest incidence of eye injuries, followed by water polo (36.4%) and diving (26.7%). Overall, 42.4% of the athletes were injured by ball and 22.5% of injuries came from teammates. The eye injuries usually occurred during training (64.2%) and competitions (14.6%). Adnexa wound (51.7%) was the most common type of injury. About 11.9% of the athletes with eye injuries had the impaired vision; 66.7% failed to see doctors on time. The athletes <18 years of age had a higher risk of eye injuries (odds ratio [OR] =1.60, 95% CI: 1.06–2.40). The athletes with lower family income (<1,000 RMB) were at risk population for sports-related eye injuries (OR = 3.91, 95% CI: 2.24–6.82). Training >4 h a day increased the risk of eye injuries (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.42–3.43).Conclusion: The incidence of sports-related eye injuries among athletes was 10.7% in Tianjin, China. Handball, water polo, and diving were the most common activities of injury. Age, family income, and training time were the risk factors for sports-related eye injuries.

Sports‐related ocular injuries at a tertiary eye hospital in Australia: A 5‐year retrospective descriptive study

“…One hundred and three (5.74%) cases required antiocular hypertensive medications. The mean IOP for these cases at initial presentation was 33.47 mmHg and 16.70 mmHg at follow up. For these cases requiring anti-ocular hypertensive medications, the most common causative sports were soccer, AFL and badminton with 35, 17 and 15 cases, respectively.…”

“…It has been repeatedly demonstrated that appropriate protective eyewear can reduce the incidence of sports‐related ocular injury. The Helsinki University Eye Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, showed that hockey‐related eye injuries declined by 90.91% in the under‐14 age group as a direct consequence of the introduction of mandatory protective eyewear 16 . Dain published a recent review outlining sports eyewear protective standards, explaining that Australia has several sports eyewear protective standards – including for squash, tennis and cricket – but there is no general sports eyewear protective standard 21 .…”

“…The Helsinki University Eye Hospital, Helsinki, Finland, showed that hockey‐related eye injuries declined by 90.91% in the under‐14 age group as a direct consequence of the introduction of mandatory protective eyewear. 16 Dain published a recent review outlining sports eyewear protective standards, explaining that Australia has several sports eyewear protective standards – including for squash, tennis and cricket – but there is no general sports eyewear protective standard. 21 A further three standards for protective eyewear in specific sports are currently being reviewed for adoption in Australia.…”

“…Of the articles that have investigated multiple sports, some of these papers generated data from statistical coding databases as opposed to individually assessing case presentations thereby being unable to provide descriptive information regarding characteristics and impact of the injury 3,15 . Furthermore, not all studies assessed long‐term follow‐up of these injuries 3,15,16 . Therefore, there is a paucity of understanding of the nature and severity of specific ocular injuries, complications, treatments and follow‐up outcomes.…”

“… 3 , 15 Furthermore, not all studies assessed long‐term follow‐up of these injuries. 3 , 15 , 16 Therefore, there is a paucity of understanding of the nature and severity of specific ocular injuries, complications, treatments and follow‐up outcomes. This retrospective descriptive study sought to characterise the nature, mechanisms, severity, complications and visual outcomes associated with sports‐related eye injuries in a tertiary eye hospital across a 5‐year period.…”