Perforating ocular wounds in occupational accidents.

We review 77 patients with perforating ocular wounds due to occupational accidents seen in our hospital over a period of 5 years. Industrial accidents were the most frequent cause (61.04%), followed by agricultural (25.97%) and services trade (12.98%). Seventy-five patients were males (97.40%), with a mean age of 32.88 years. The cornea was statistically the most frequent location (p less than 0.001). The nasal quadrants were more frequently affected than the temporal ones (p less than 0.001) and the upper quadrants were also more affected than the lower ones, especially in the cornea (p less than 0.001). Fifty-two percent had intraocular foreign bodies; industrial accidents were responsible of 65% of these injuries. They were significantly more frequent in summer than in autumn (p less than 0.001) and spring (p less than 0.01). We discuss the prognosis of these injuries and the circumstances that may influence in their occurrence, stressing the importance of prevention programs.