Pediatric ocular trauma: a retrospective survey.

A retrospective, cross-sectional survey was conducted of all pediatric trauma cases seen by the ophthalmology department at our institution from January 1986 to December 1991. The study included 504 patients who were 15 years old or younger. The purpose of this study was to determine risk factors for ocular injury, especially injury resulting in severe visual impairment, and to identify trends and preventable causes. Our results were consistent with the findings of other similar studies: male patients predominated, penetrating injuries resulted in poor visual outcomes, and many of the causes of severe visual deficit were preventable with more adequate adult supervision.