Children Suffering Ocular Trauma is a Serious Concern

Incidents of children requiring hospitalisation from ocular trauma remains a serious concern, a 12-year study has shown.
Researchers  found that children being admitted for serious eye injuries were most commonly from being struck by an object.
“Our study shows that from 2002 to 2013, being struck with an object accounted for 22% of admissions followed by falls and projectiles at 17% and 16% respectively”, says author Prof David Mackey. More than 50% of the injuries occurred at home and 15% occurred during sports activities.
Severe ocular trauma can have detrimental effects on a child’s visual development and personal growth. According to the study, 27% of those admitted required surgical intervention as their primary management of the injury. More than 10% had a significant permanent vision loss.
While it is up to those present in the daily lives of the children to ensure safe practices in their daily activities, Prof Mackey believes that “more research can be done to further understand the circumstances and nature of severe childhood eye injuries. This will help us to achieve more effective prevention strategies.”
Education of both children and their carers to help them understand the consequences of their actions plays an important role in prevention of eye injuries. “Parents should be educated about safety around the home to minimise risk, for example eliminating access to dangerous household products. Legislation to ensure products are safe and age – appropriate with adequate warnings for parents is also important. Eye protection has been shown to significantly reduce eye injuries and it is important to further analyse where and when they should be worn.”
Prof Mackey, along with authors of the study, Drs Anne-Marie Yardley, Geoffrey Lam, Ms Annette Hoskin, and Ms Kate Hanman, presented their paper at the 46^th Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Annual Scientific Congress in Brisbane. The authors acknowledged funding from the Joyce Henderson Bequest Fund which enabled this important research