history of ocular trauma in tehran population: tehran eye study

purpose : to study the age and gender specific history of ocular trauma in the population of tehran methods : using a stratified cluster sampling approach, 6,497 residents of tehran were selected. participants were transferred to an eye clinic to have complete eye examinations. during the interview, participants were asked about any history of ocular trauma, and any treatment or hospitalization due to such trauma. data are presented in detail according to age and gender, along with their 95% confidence intervals (ci). results : a total of 4,565 people participated in the study (response rate: 70.3%) their mean age was 30.05±18.78 years, and 58.2% were female. a history of ocular trauma was recorded in 13.3% (95% ci: 12.0-14.5%) the rate was significantly higher in men (17.1% vs. 9.2%, p<0.001). the trauma was blunt, sharp or chemical in 6.1% (95% ci: 5.2-7.1%), 4.1% (95% ci: 3.5-4.7%), and 1.5% (95% ci: 1.1-1.9%), respectively. a history of medical treatment and hospitalization due to eye trauma was stated by 2.2% and 2.4% of the participants. conclusion : our results indicated that ocular trauma was more frequent among men and younger age groups. the rates of ocular trauma are neither too high nor very low compared to reports from other countries, yet it is important to consider educational programs to prevent ocular injury, specially occupational eye trauma.   iranian journal of ophthalmology 201123(3):43-49 © 2011 by the iranian society of ophthalmology