The 3rd Annual Eye Injury Snapshot Project
May 14 to 21, 2006

FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY

A total of 735 completed questionnaires were received within the time parameters set for responding to the survey.

• 73% of the injuries reported were to males.
• 49% of the injuries sustained were to people between the ages of 18 to 45. Only 18% reported injuries were to people 12 years of age or younger, and 7% were to people 65 or older.
• 96% of the injuries occurred in patients who are Caucasian, African-American or Hispanic. Injuries were sustained by very few Asian-Americans and members of other ethnic groups.
• 81% of the patients who sustained injuries previously had normal ocular histories.
• 40% of reported eye injuries occurred in the home, and 47% happened between noon and 6 p.m. Relatively few injuries occurred at other locations, and few happened before 6:01 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
• 56% of the ophthalmologists reported that the time lapse between injury and treatment was no more than one to several hours post incident.
• Accidents were reported as the cause of 84% of the injuries. Assaults accounted for 12% of eye injuries.
• The agents causing the largest numbers of injuries were projectiles (20%), blunt objects (10%), fingers/fists/other body parts (12%) and sharp objects (9%).
• 77% of injury victims were not wearing eye wear.
• Drugs and/or alcohol were involved in only 5% of reported injuries.
• Motor vehicle crashes accounted for 4% of injuries. In the case of motor vehicle injuries, 35% of patients were reportedly not wearing seat belts. It was reported that 29% of the patients were wearing seat belts, and it was unknown if 36% were wearing seat belts.
• 49% of the injuries occurred to patients’ right eyes only, and relatively few (6%) sustained injuries to both eyes. 45% sustained injuries to the left eye.
• 57% of treatments were provided in the ophthalmologist’s office, while 28% was provided in a hospital emergency department/emergency room; 15% were treated in a hospital operating room.
• Generally, the prognoses were good. Ophthalmologists reported 76% of the patients who sustained eye injuries were expected to fully recover, while another 10% would experience mild impairment.
• Most ophthalmologists felt that the eye injuries they examined and treated could have been avoided if the patients had worn appropriate protective eye wear.
• 41% thought that the injuries could have been avoided with patient education.

Learn about the 2008 Eye Injury Snapshot.

• 2007 Eye Injury Snapshot results
• 2005 Eye Injury Snapshot results