Eye injuries in the young in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

One hundred and seventeen children aged 0-17 years treated for eye injuries at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Ile-Ife, Nigeria were studied. Seventy-five were males and 42 were females with a mean age of 10 years 4 months. Injuries occurred with increasing frequency after the age of 4 years and were commonly sustained by children at play (50.4%); during corporal punishment (10.3%); assault (9.4%) and street hawking (9.4%). Causative agents were mostly sticks and twigs, followed by missiles and fall. Visual prognosis was best in patients with contusion injuries (48.3%) and worst in those with perforating eye injuries (30.5%). Blindness of the injured eye occurred in one-third of the patients and another 17.5% had significant visual impairment. This study shows a variation in the aetiology and visual outcome of eye injuries in the young. Strategies for the prevention of eye injuries are mainly health education, improved supervision of children at play, change in the method of corporal punishment and provision of protective devices for adolescents at work. Early diagnosis and prompt management will improve visual prognosis.