PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with ocular prosthesis to assess the causes of eye loss in the different genders and age groups, and their incidence over the years. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the rates of ocular prosthesis application and related causes in the period from 1927 to 2011 in a referral center in Rome, Italy, and compared them over time. We also compared the results within the population in terms of age and gender. RESULTS: Of 8018 ocular prosthesis wearers, 63% were males and 37% were females, with a mean age of 29 years. The most frequent cause of ocular prosthesis application was a traumatic event (54%), with work-related eye injuries being the most frequent single cause of ocular trauma reported. Other frequent causes were end-stage ocular diseases, tumors, and malformations, without significant differences in gender. Tumors and malformations showed a slight increasing trend over time, while end-stage ocular diseases and work-related injuries remained unchanged, and other traumatic events decreased. CONCLUSION: The constantly high frequency of ocular prosthesis application for work-related injuries and end-stage ocular diseases suggests that preventive measures for these events have not been addressed accordingly, and might represent a neglected public-health issue.
PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with ocular prosthesis to assess the causes of eye loss in the different genders and age groups, and their incidence over the years. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the rates of ocular prosthesis application and related causes in the period from 1927 to 2011 in a referral center in Rome, Italy, and compared them over time. We also compared the results within the population in terms of age and gender. RESULTS: Of 8018 ocular prosthesis wearers, 63% were males and 37% were females, with a mean age of 29 years. The most frequent cause of ocular prosthesis application was a traumatic event (54%), with work-related eye injuries being the most frequent single cause of ocular trauma reported. Other frequent causes were end-stage ocular diseases, tumors, and malformations, without significant differences in gender. Tumors and malformations showed a slight increasing trend over time, while end-stage ocular diseases and work-related injuries remained unchanged, and other traumatic events decreased. CONCLUSION: The constantly high frequency of ocular prosthesis application for work-related injuries and end-stage ocular diseases suggests that preventive measures for these events have not been addressed accordingly, and might represent a neglected public-health issue.