Eye trauma epidemiology in regional Australia.

PURPOSE To describe the epidemiology of eye trauma presenting to a regional referral health service in New South Wales, Australia. METHODS A two-stage retrospective and prospective case series study was conducted. Patients who presented with eye trauma to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital (WWBH) emergency department (ED) during a one-year review period formed the retrospective case series (RCS). Patient inclusion was determined using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms and International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes applied to medical records. Patients presenting with eye trauma to the WWBH ED or its ophthalmology service over a prospective 80-day study period formed the prospective case series (PCS). The main outcome measures were patient demographics, eye trauma incidence for Wagga Wagga and the Murrumbidgee region and injury details. RESULTS A total of 411 and 117 eye injuries were identified for the RCS and PCS, respectively. Mean age was 35.5 ± 18.6 years (RCS) and 34.1 ± 17.1 years (PCS), with male predominance (77.9%, RCS; 89.7%, PCS). The incidence of eye trauma in Wagga Wagga and Murrumbidgee was estimated from the PCS at 537.1 and 334.4, respectively, per 100,000 person-years. A large proportion of injuries were work-related (40.2% RCS, 45.8% PCS). Protective eyewear use in work-related injuries was low (27.6% RCS, 39.0% PCS). CONCLUSIONS Eye trauma remains a significant public health concern with a high incidence in Wagga Wagga and the Murrumbidgee region. Protective eyewear compliance is low in work-related eye injuries. Patient demographic and occupational factors may be targeted to reduce the burden of disease.