Eye injuries at a tertiary health center in the west Black Sea region, Turkey

WOS: 000303134900004PubMed: 22792817BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate the clinical aspects and visual prognosis in eye injury and to constitute data in the west Black Sea region in Turkey for national statistics. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 281 eye trauma cases admitted to the Emergency Department of Zonguldak Karaelmas University Hospital between 2005 and 2010 was performed. RESULTS A majority of eye injuries (42.7%) affected individuals aged 30 to 50 years. The most frequent cause of injury in the rural areas was wooden objects. The most frequent cause of injury in males aged 30 to 50 years was work-site injuries. Corneal-scleral lacerations were found to be the most serious injuries with regard to initial and final visual acuities. CONCLUSION Eye injuries are still the most common and preventable cause of blindness. Simple precautions and public education might prevent this health problem, which causes economic and labor force loss and psychological problems. One of the basic precautions would be raising public awareness on wearing a seat belt inside the car and protective eyeglasses at the work site and while working in rural areas