Purpose

Epidemiological estimation of penetrating eye injuries treated at the I-st Eye Hospital Medical Academy in Lublin in 1994 – 2002.

Material and methods

Distribution by age, sex, season, causes of the trauma, visual acuity were estimated. There were treated 182 patients (184 eyes).

Results

Out of the 182 patients the majority 145 were men and 37 women. The age distribution: 0 – 15 years (39 patients), 16 – 25 years (23 patients), 26 – 35 years (37 patients), 36 – 45 years (27 patients), 46 – 55 years (17 patients), 56 – 65 years (25 patients), over 65 years (14 patients). Mean age – 33,8 years (1 year to 80 years). The distribution of penetrating eye injuries was as follows: in 1994 – 19 cases, 1995 – 31 cases, 1996 – 20 cases, 1997 – 17 cases, 1998 – 17 cases, 1999 – 16 cases, 2000 – 18 cases, 2001 – 18 cases, 2002 – 25 cases of ocular trauma. In 75 cases we noted the connection with occupation, and in 107 cases there were no such correlation. Final visual acuity was less than 0,1 in 72 patients (39,1%), 0,1- 0,3 in 34 patients (16,5%) and over 0,3 in 78 patients (42,4%).

Conclusions

Penetrating eye injuries are still severe therapeutical problem and cause of 40% loss of useful visual acuity among treated patients. During 9 years of this study the decreasing of number of penetrating injuries was not observed, which showing again a problem of the prevention.