Eye trauma

Eye trauma is one of the main causes of visual impairment worldwide. 1.6 million cases of blindness worldwide are caused by eye injuries.¹ Bashir et al. reported in their study “Ocular injuries among patients with major trauma in England and Wales from 2004 to 2021”, about approximately 60 million ocular trauma in 2019 alone.¹ Severe trauma are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in people under the age of 40.² These patients often have eye trauma associated with sight-threatening ocular pathologies.² In the US, inpatient costs for eye trauma are estimated at $1.72 billion.³ This does not include the costs associated with loss of production, which are not insignificant.⁴

According to the German Professional Association of Ophthalmologists (BVA), the number of eye injuries in Germany is around 300,000, five per cent of which have serious complications. This includes 3,200 open globe injuries and around 200 severe chemical burns.5 The percentage of eye injuries in school sports in Germany in 2019 was 1.83 per cent. Most eye injuries occurred in sports courses at primary schools, followed by comprehensive schools and grammar schools. Club sports accidents were dominated by water polo, squash, badminton and tennis.⁶

In a retrospective study, Zhang et al. identified football, basketball and badminton as the sports that most frequently led to eye injuries in China.⁷

However extreme sports such as bungee jumping can also lead to serious eye injuries. In this context, Koirala et al. published an interesting case report in which they describe a 28-year-old myopic patient who developed a retinal detachment as a result of a bungee jump.⁸

The current issue of Optometry & Contact Lenses (OCL) is also focusing on eye injuries with three publications and an interview, once again highlighting their high clinical relevance.

Adequate information for consumers and patients about the possible risks and consequences of workplace and sports-related eye injuries is certainly also one of the tasks of of both eye care professions.

Up-to-date knowledge is more important than ever for healthcare professionals, which is why OCL once again aimed to publish clinically and scientifically interesting articles in 2024. For that reason the OCL Editorial Board would like to thank all authors and the many engaged reviewers.

With this in mind, the whole OCL team wishes all readers and everyone who contributes to the high standard of OCL all the best for the new year 2025.