Abstract
Traumatic cataract is a main cause of visual impairment in pediatric populations and is preventable. Awareness of the causes and consequences of pediatric eye trauma play roles in health education and prevention of blindness. We conducted a retrospective chart review based on 5-year clinical data of pediatric traumatic cataract cases treated at the Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Clinical features including demographic data, injury mechanism, and causative agents were analyzed. A total of 321 eyes of 321 children (male, 74.1%) were included. Penetrating injury accounted for 76.6% of all injuries; 65% of children with such injuries underwent their first surgery on the day of injury. The average age at injury was 6.3 ± 3.7 years, while the peak age was from two to eight years. The main causes of ocular injury were sharp metal objects, toys, and wooden sticks. The causative agent changed with increasing age; however, scissors were the leading cause within almost all age groups. Cataract surgery significantly improved visual acuity in children with traumatic cataract. These findings add information regarding the characterization of pediatric traumatic cataract in China and can help guide safety education and preventative measures.
Highlights
Studies on traumatic cataract in children have been reported from developing countries such as India and Nepal; studies on traumatic cataract in children in China, the most populous country, are limited
Traumatic cataract is one of the most frequent morbidities caused by ocular injury[8]
Prevention is always better than treatment
Summary
Studies on traumatic cataract in children have been reported from developing countries such as India and Nepal; studies on traumatic cataract in children in China, the most populous country, are limited. We retrospectively analyzed mechanical ocular injuries in children presenting with cataracts who were admitted to the Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China, based on 5-year single-center experience of 321 cases, aiming to address gaps in the current knowledge of injury-induced traumatic cataract in children in China. The Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University is one of the top eye centers in China, and the patients admitted to our hospital come from various provinces of eastern China, including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Fujian. The hospital has ~800,000 outpatient visits and admits an estimated 15,000 patients per year; the demographics of pediatric patients with ocular injury at our hospital are likely representative of the general situation in eastern China
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