OBJECTIVES: To determine the demographics, incidence, etiology, and severity of pediatric ocular trauma cases seen in a tertiary hospital and to establish the visual outcomes of these cases using the Ocular Trauma Score (OTS).
METHODS: Pediatric patients, aged 0-18, who came to the emergency clinic for ocular trauma between January to April 2012 were included in the study. They were examined on initial consult and computed for the OTS by converting the OTS variables into OTS categories. They were followed up after 1, 2, and 3 months. The distribution of percentage of final visual acuity was compared with the OTS.
RESULTS: There was a male predominance (76%) occurring mostly in the 2-6 year age group (37%). Injuries were predominantly accidental (91%), occurring at home (72%), and frequently caused by blunt trauma (55%), followed by penetrating injuries (21%). Majority (76.2%) had no impairment while 14% had severe visual disability after three months. Eighty-three percent corresponded to the OTS proposed final visual acuities and the remaining 17% fell into the category one below or above the proposed final visual acuity.
CONCLUSION: Ocular trauma is a common cause of visual impairment in children and can be prevented. There should be preventive measures, better supervision, public education, and aggressive and prompt management to improve visual outcomes.