Ocular Trauma: Trends and Considerations for Resident Education

Abstract

Objective Ocular trauma is a mendable cause of morbidity and preventable blindness. Our goal is to confirm the relationship between ocular trauma and seasonality, to establish an association between ocular trauma and temperature, and to discuss implications on resident education.Methods Consults for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Hamilton Eye Institute Ophthalmology residency (Memphis, TN) were recorded in the New Innovations database from 2006 to 2016 and analyzed retrospectively. International Classification of Diseases-9 diagnosis codes were used to identify all cases of ocular trauma. Temperature data were obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. The main outcome measures were the monthly, seasonal, annual, and temperature trends in ocular trauma in an emergency department setting, necessitating an ophthalmology consultation.Results A total of 8,400 patients were screened by ophthalmology residents in Memphis, TN from 2006 to 2016, 3,540 carried a diagnosis of ocular trauma, out of which 2,290 were male (64.7%) with a mean age of 34.6 years and 1,250 were female (35.3%) with a mean age of 34.9 years. The most common diagnoses were orbital fracture (36.6%), eyelid laceration (20.2%), and nonpenetrating corneal/conjunctival injury (13.6%). Peak months were July (37.3 cases/year) and September (36.6 cases/year) with trauma more likely to occur in nonwinter months (p = 0.0069). Trauma was more likely to occur in the summer/fall seasons (p = 0.0014) corresponding to mean temperatures 82.8 and 64.6°F, respectively.Conclusion Ocular trauma exhibits an annual and temperature cycle, peaking in the summer and fall months, and coinciding with the beginning of the academic year. Special attention should be taken in July to prepare residents for the proper management of ocular trauma to prevent blindness as traumatic cases are more likely to require surgical intervention.