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Submitted: 2022-11-14
DOI: 10.35119/myjo.v5i1.337
Original Articles
Published: 2024-02-13

Advocacy in action: preventing eye injuries in India

The University of Sydney, Save Sight Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, Australia; University of Western Australia, Lions Eye Institute, Perth, Australia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7732-0323
Vision Eye Centre, Delhi, India
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, India
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, India
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, India
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, India
Ratan Jyoti Netralyer, Lashkar, India
Eye and Dental Hospital and Lasik Centre, Amritsar, India
Mohan Eye Institute, Delhi, India
Centre for Sight, Delhi, India
Drishti Netralaya, Dahod, Gujarat, India
National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi, India
National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi, India
National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
eye injury India injury prevention vision loss

Abstract

Purpose: To summarise key areas of ophthalmic trauma in India and propose prevention measures.

Study design: Descriptive review and expert opinion.

Methods: Key data presented by members and office bearers of the Ocular Trauma Society of India (OTSI), All India Ophthalmological Society, and Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Trauma Society (APOTS) at a meeting of the National Human Rights Commission India on September 21, 2022 are summarised in this review. To study the incidence of eye injuries in India, the International Globe and Adnexal Trauma Epidemiology Study (IGATES) registry (a global web-based database platform for ophthalmic trauma developed by APOTS in collaboration with OTSI) was employed. IGATES makes use of cloud computing to collect and store data regarding ocular trauma worldwide.

Results: Eye injuries remain the leading cause of preventable monocular vision loss in India. In this study, 2,528 Indian patients presented with ocular trauma, 1,980 of which (78.3%) were males and 548 were females (21.7%). The mean age of the patients was 31.1 ± 17.4 years. Of all the cases, 281 (11.2%) were due to road traffic accidents (RTA), 70 (2.77%) were chemical injuries, and 43 (1.70%) were fireworks-related. There is an association between the use of eye protection and final best corrected visual acuity (p = 0.04). In light of this, several strategies are suggested to prevent the incidence or reduce the severity of eye injuries.

Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of RTA-related cases and the wide use of fireworks in many festive celebrations such as Diwali, it is paramount to look into ways to reduce the incidence of such injuries.