Epidemiology of Product-Related Ocular Injuries in the United States From 2001 to 2020.

Background: Although ocular injuries are a major cause of ocular morbidity, ocular trauma secondary to consumer-related products is often preventable, and epidemiologic data can highlight potential avenues for intervention.

Objective: Our aim was to characterize epidemiologic trends in product-related ocular injuries presenting to the emergency department (ED) from 2001 to 2020 based on the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database.

Methods: The NEISS database was reviewed for all ED visits for ocular injuries between 2001 and 2020. Trends in incidences were determined by calculating average annual percent change.

Results: There were 106,533 ocular injuries reported to the NEISS database, which represented an estimated 4 million national cases. Most injuries occurred during the summer in men (69.2% of cases) younger than 40 years (66.2%). The incidence rates decreased for patients younger than 60 years, but remained steady in those 60 years and older. Although the most common overall cause was home workshop equipment-related products (23.5%), patients younger than 20 years were most likely injured from sports (27.2%), and those 80 years and older experienced injuries due to furniture (24.0%).

Conclusions: Although the overall incidence of product-related ocular injuries has decreased over the past 2 decades, not all age groups are affected equally. The data showed that the trends in frequency and cause of eye-related ED visits differ depending on the age of the patient and indicated avenues for age-specific interventions.