IMPACT OF PUBLIC AWARENESS ON PREVENTION OF OCULAR INJURIES DURING FESTIVALS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL REVIEW

Abstract

Abstract:
 Purpose: To see the impact of public awareness programs on prevention of ocular injuries during festivals
 Study Design: Observational cross-sectional study
 Place and Duration: Ophthalmology department, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Gujranwala from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2019 (2 years)
 Materials and Methods: After IRB approval and informed consent, data of patients suffering from ocular injuries only due to pellets or firecrackers at different festivals in 2018 was obtained. Proper history and examination was done and data was saved. General public education through posters and pamphlets was done regarding prevention of such injuries and data of next year (2019) was obtained, analyzed and compared with that of 2018 through SPSS v.25.
 Results: Out of a total of 76 patients, 55 (72.3%) presented in 2018 and 21 (27.7%) in 2019. Majority of patients, 48 (87.2%) in 2018 and 17 (80.9%) in 2019 belonged to age groups under 20 years. Pellets caused more injuries, 34 (61.8%) and 12 (57.1%) in 2018 and 2019 respectively than firecrackers, 21 (38.2%) and 9 (42.9%) respectively. In 2018, hyphema was most frequent clinical finding in 14 (25.5%) followed by corneal abrasions in 11 (20.0%) while the order was reversed in 7 (33.3%) and 6 (28.6%) patients respectively in 2019. In 2018, only 10 (18.2%) patients had best corrected visual acuity of counting fingers or worse at presentation while this number was 3 (14.3%) in 2019.
 Conclusion: Festival injuries contribute to a significant number of preventable eye injuries. With proper educational programs and subsequent preventive measures, incidence of festival injuries can be significantly reduced.
 Key Words: Festival Injuries, Awareness Programs, Ocular Trauma