Comparative study of the rate and causes of eye injuries in patients admitted to Shahid Mohammadi hospital in Bandar Abbas during 1998-1999 and 2004-2005

Introduction: Eye injuries are still considered a principal cause of blindness and morbidity in developing countries, while most of them are preventable. Regarding the high prevalence of traumas in Hormozgan province, this study focuses on comparison of patients with eye traumas admitted to Shahid Mohammadi hospital of Bandar Abbas in 1998-1999 and 2004-2005. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 205 patients who were admitted to Shahid Mohammadi hospital of Bandar Abbas for eye injuries in 2004-2005. Variables such as age, gender, hospitalization duration, occupation, type of trauma, cause of trauma, the injured eye, type of traumatic lesion, treatment modality, interval between injury and admission, and visual acuity were evaluated. The results were statistically analyzed and compared with those obtained from 394 patients hospitalized in 1998-1999. For data analysis, SPSS sofware was used. Results: In both studies, injured men were more than women: 21% for female and 78% for male. 6-10 years age group had the most prevalence of injuries. The highest numbers on injury were wood (17.77%) in 1998-1999 and accidents (18.53%) in 2004-2005. The second cause of injury in both studies was metallic objects with 35.45% in 1998-1999 and 13.65% in 2004-2005. The most common injury in both surveys was corneal laceration (43.14% in 1998-1999 and 20.58% in 2004-2005) and the least common was globe dislocation (5 cases and one case, equivalent to 1.27% and 0.21% in 1998-1999 and 2004-2005, respectively). Conclusion: Considering the fact that most injuries in the study years are preventable, cultural activities and education for students and farmers can considerably reduce the rate of injuries