New Zealand adult ocular trauma study: A 10-year national review of 332 418 cases of ocular injury in adults aged 18 to 99 years.

Abstract

Ocular injury is a common, preventable cause of temporary and permanent disability. The current study evaluates the nationwide incidence, demographics and visual outcomes of adults with ocular injury in New Zealand. Nationwide retrospective review. New Zealanders aged 18-99 years from 2007 to 2016 with ocular injury requiring assessment by a registered medical practitioner. New Zealand national and regional datasets were used to evaluate population-level statistics over a 10-year period. Visual and clinical outcome data were assessed using a random sample of 150 patients from a tertiary hospital. Annual incidence, aetiology, demographics, injury location, visual outcomes, protective eyewear use, surgical intervention and follow-up. A total of 332 418 adult eye injuries were recorded nationally. The annual incidence of eye injury was 1007/100 000 population/year. Patients were predominantly male (76.1%), of New Zealand-European ethnicity (74.6%) and aged between 20 and 29 years (21.1%). The most common mechanism of injury was "struck by object" (55.4%). Injuries occurred most commonly at home (48.4%), followed by commercial (15%) and industrial locations (13.8%). Injuries were more common in rural regions (P < .001). Protective eyewear use was reported in 6% of cases (n = 9, 95% confidence interval = 3.2-11.0). Most ocular injuries were managed exclusively in primary care (70.5%). Adults with the highest risk of ocular injury are rural males aged 20 to 29 years. Protective eyewear use is uncommon in adults presenting with ocular injury and the majority of injuries are managed in primary care. Promotion of appropriate injury prevention strategies is an important public health message.