Characteristics of Pediatric Sports- and Recreation-Related Eye Injuries Treated in US EDs by Age Group, NEISS 1990–2012
| Characteristics . | 0- to 4-year-olds . | 5- to 9-year-olds . | 10- to 14-year-olds . | 15- to 17-year-olds . | Total . | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%)a . | n (%)a . | n (%)a . | n (%)a . | n (%)a . | 95% CI . | |
| Sex | ||||||
| Boy | 23 689 (66.0) | 82 417 (73.4) | 144 633 (76.3) | 81 462 (78.3) | 332 200 (75.2) | 285 501–378 900 |
| Girl | 12 217 (34.0) | 29 845 (26.6) | 44 862 (23.7) | 22 541 (21.7) | 109 465 (24.8) | 92 072–126 859 |
| Not specified | 6 (0.0)b | 30 (0.0)b | 99 (0.1)b | 0 (0.0)b | 134 (0.0)b | 9–260 |
| Specific diagnosis | ||||||
| Corneal abrasion | 8526 (23.7) | 31 406 (28.0) | 49 423 (26.1) | 30 279 (29.1) | 119 634 (27.1) | 99 108–140 160 |
| Conjunctivitis | 5766 (16.1) | 14 804 (13.2) | 16 890 (8.9) | 6920 (6.7) | 44 380 (10.0) | 34 184–54 576 |
| Foreign body | 5005 (13.9) | 9674 (8.6) | 15 371 (8.1) | 7593 (7.3) | 37 643 (8.5) | 30 619–44 667 |
| Laceration or puncture | 2055 (5.7) | 4725 (4.2) | 6996 (3.7) | 4407 (4.2) | 18 184 (4.1) | 15 227–21 140 |
| Hyphema | 873 (2.4)b | 2867 (2.6) | 8001 (4.2) | 4763 (4.6) | 16 504 (3.7) | 12 508–20 501 |
| Iritis or keratitis | 44 (0.1)b | 913 (0.8)b | 3642 (1.9) | 2784 (2.7) | 7384 (1.7) | 4977–9790 |
| Subconjunctival hemorrhage | 184 (0.5)b | 1333 (1.2) | 2385 (1.3) | 1693 (1.6) | 5594 (1.3) | 4017–7171 |
| Visual blurring or vision loss | 6 (0.0)b | 500 (0.4)b | 1923 (1.0) | 694 (0.7)b | 3123 (0.7) | 2072–4174 |
| Other | 12 213 (34.0) | 41 898 (37.3) | 78 134 (41.2) | 41 335 (39.7) | 173 579 (39.3) | 150 968–196 191 |
| Not specified | 1241 (3.5) | 4172 (3.7) | 6828 (3.6) | 3536 (3.4) | 15 776 (3.6) | 9531–22 020 |
| Disposition from the ED | ||||||
| Treated and released | 34 079 (94.9) | 106 605 (94.9) | 178 224 (94.0) | 98 840 (95.0) | 417 749 (94.6) | 357 183–478 314 |
| Hospitalized | 1373 (3.8) | 4776 (4.3) | 10 156 (5.4) | 4659 (4.5) | 20 965 (4.7) | 17 234–24 695 |
| Left against medical advice | 348 (1.0)b | 792 (0.7)b | 1195 (0.6)b | 451 (0.4)b | 2785 (0.6) | 1702–3868 |
| Not specified | 112 (0.3)b | 118 (0.1)b | 18 (0.0)b | 53 (0.1)b | 301 (0.1)b | 67–536 |
| Locale of injury | ||||||
| Place for sport or recreation | 5187 (14.4) | 24 421 (21.7) | 52 372 (27.6) | 33 258 (32.0) | 115 238 (26.1) | 93 074–137 402 |
| Home | 13 807 (38.4) | 29 639 (26.4) | 34 456 (18.2) | 11 920 (11.5) | 89 823 (20.3) | 74 567–105 078 |
| School | 1231 (3.4) | 10 021 (8.9) | 25 405 (13.4) | 19 987 (19.2) | 56 644 (12.8) | 45 543–67 745 |
| Other | 1563 (4.4) | 4687 (4.2) | 8405 (4.4) | 4816 (4.6) | 19 471 (4.4) | 14 071–24 871 |
| Not specified | 14 123 (39.3) | 43 523 (38.8) | 68 956 (36.4) | 34 023 (32.7) | 160 625 (36.4) | 128 965–192 286 |
| Mechanism of injury | ||||||
| Hit, struck, or poked | 13 956 (38.9) | 57 159 (50.9) | 103 689 (54.7) | 62 148 (59.8) | 236 952 (53.6) | 204 099–269 805 |
| Object or small particle in eye | 8107 (22.6) | 15 108 (13.5) | 20 718 (10.9) | 9490 (9.1) | 53 422 (12.1) | 43 902–62 943 |
| Shot | 1544 (4.3) | 7650 (6.8) | 25 881 (13.7) | 10 959 (10.5) | 46 034 (10.4) | 37 354–54 713 |
| Contact with chemicals | 4402 (12.3) | 12 715 (11.3) | 13 112 (6.9) | 4173 (4.0) | 34 403 (7.8) | 25 058–43 749 |
| Fell | 3802 (10.6) | 5946 (5.3) | 3644 (1.9) | 1839 (1.8) | 15 231 (3.4) | 12 423–18 039 |
| Struck eye against an object | 1604 (4.5) | 3175 (2.8) | 3504 (1.8) | 1387 (1.3) | 9670 (2.2) | 7386–11 954 |
| Scratched or scraped | 214 (0.6)b | 1991 (1.8) | 4007 (2.1) | 2128 (2.0) | 8341 (1.9) | 6519–10 163 |
| Other | 114 (0.3)b | 852 (0.8)b | 613 (0.3)b | 416 (0.4)b | 1995 (0.5) | 1099–2891 |
| Not specified | 2169 (6.0) | 7695 (6.9) | 14 426 (7.6) | 11 463 (11.0) | 35 752 (8.1) | 26 238–45 266 |
| Object responsible for injury | ||||||
| Ball, puck, or birdie | 3603 (10.0) | 26 328 (23.4) | 53 414 (28.2) | 25 299 (24.3) | 108 643 (24.6) | 92 809–124 477 |
| Small particle(s) in eye | 8357 (23.3) | 15 237 (13.6) | 21 544 (11.4) | 9842 (9.5) | 54 980 (12.4) | 44 818–65 143 |
| Another person or body region | 1033 (2.9)b | 7035 (6.3) | 19 760 (10.4) | 17 956 (17.3) | 45 784 (10.4) | 37 958–53 611 |
| BB, pellet, or paintball | 1384 (3.9) | 7221 (6.4) | 25 511 (13.5) | 10 896 (10.5) | 45 012 (10.2) | 36 479–53 545 |
| Bat, club, stick, pole, or racquet | 2692 (7.5) | 7819 (7.0) | 7133 (3.8) | 2388 (2.3) | 20 032 (4.5) | 16 474–23 591 |
| Other or not specified | 18 842 (52.5) | 48 652 (43.3) | 62 232 (32.8) | 37 623 (36.2) | 167 348 (37.9) | 142 811–191 886 |
| Study total (row %)c | 35 911 (8.1) | 112 292 (25.4) | 189 594 (42.9) | 104 003 (23.5) | 441 800 (100.0) | 378 868–504 733 |
| Characteristics . | 0- to 4-year-olds . | 5- to 9-year-olds . | 10- to 14-year-olds . | 15- to 17-year-olds . | Total . | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%)a . | n (%)a . | n (%)a . | n (%)a . | n (%)a . | 95% CI . | |
| Sex | ||||||
| Boy | 23 689 (66.0) | 82 417 (73.4) | 144 633 (76.3) | 81 462 (78.3) | 332 200 (75.2) | 285 501–378 900 |
| Girl | 12 217 (34.0) | 29 845 (26.6) | 44 862 (23.7) | 22 541 (21.7) | 109 465 (24.8) | 92 072–126 859 |
| Not specified | 6 (0.0)b | 30 (0.0)b | 99 (0.1)b | 0 (0.0)b | 134 (0.0)b | 9–260 |
| Specific diagnosis | ||||||
| Corneal abrasion | 8526 (23.7) | 31 406 (28.0) | 49 423 (26.1) | 30 279 (29.1) | 119 634 (27.1) | 99 108–140 160 |
| Conjunctivitis | 5766 (16.1) | 14 804 (13.2) | 16 890 (8.9) | 6920 (6.7) | 44 380 (10.0) | 34 184–54 576 |
| Foreign body | 5005 (13.9) | 9674 (8.6) | 15 371 (8.1) | 7593 (7.3) | 37 643 (8.5) | 30 619–44 667 |
| Laceration or puncture | 2055 (5.7) | 4725 (4.2) | 6996 (3.7) | 4407 (4.2) | 18 184 (4.1) | 15 227–21 140 |
| Hyphema | 873 (2.4)b | 2867 (2.6) | 8001 (4.2) | 4763 (4.6) | 16 504 (3.7) | 12 508–20 501 |
| Iritis or keratitis | 44 (0.1)b | 913 (0.8)b | 3642 (1.9) | 2784 (2.7) | 7384 (1.7) | 4977–9790 |
| Subconjunctival hemorrhage | 184 (0.5)b | 1333 (1.2) | 2385 (1.3) | 1693 (1.6) | 5594 (1.3) | 4017–7171 |
| Visual blurring or vision loss | 6 (0.0)b | 500 (0.4)b | 1923 (1.0) | 694 (0.7)b | 3123 (0.7) | 2072–4174 |
| Other | 12 213 (34.0) | 41 898 (37.3) | 78 134 (41.2) | 41 335 (39.7) | 173 579 (39.3) | 150 968–196 191 |
| Not specified | 1241 (3.5) | 4172 (3.7) | 6828 (3.6) | 3536 (3.4) | 15 776 (3.6) | 9531–22 020 |
| Disposition from the ED | ||||||
| Treated and released | 34 079 (94.9) | 106 605 (94.9) | 178 224 (94.0) | 98 840 (95.0) | 417 749 (94.6) | 357 183–478 314 |
| Hospitalized | 1373 (3.8) | 4776 (4.3) | 10 156 (5.4) | 4659 (4.5) | 20 965 (4.7) | 17 234–24 695 |
| Left against medical advice | 348 (1.0)b | 792 (0.7)b | 1195 (0.6)b | 451 (0.4)b | 2785 (0.6) | 1702–3868 |
| Not specified | 112 (0.3)b | 118 (0.1)b | 18 (0.0)b | 53 (0.1)b | 301 (0.1)b | 67–536 |
| Locale of injury | ||||||
| Place for sport or recreation | 5187 (14.4) | 24 421 (21.7) | 52 372 (27.6) | 33 258 (32.0) | 115 238 (26.1) | 93 074–137 402 |
| Home | 13 807 (38.4) | 29 639 (26.4) | 34 456 (18.2) | 11 920 (11.5) | 89 823 (20.3) | 74 567–105 078 |
| School | 1231 (3.4) | 10 021 (8.9) | 25 405 (13.4) | 19 987 (19.2) | 56 644 (12.8) | 45 543–67 745 |
| Other | 1563 (4.4) | 4687 (4.2) | 8405 (4.4) | 4816 (4.6) | 19 471 (4.4) | 14 071–24 871 |
| Not specified | 14 123 (39.3) | 43 523 (38.8) | 68 956 (36.4) | 34 023 (32.7) | 160 625 (36.4) | 128 965–192 286 |
| Mechanism of injury | ||||||
| Hit, struck, or poked | 13 956 (38.9) | 57 159 (50.9) | 103 689 (54.7) | 62 148 (59.8) | 236 952 (53.6) | 204 099–269 805 |
| Object or small particle in eye | 8107 (22.6) | 15 108 (13.5) | 20 718 (10.9) | 9490 (9.1) | 53 422 (12.1) | 43 902–62 943 |
| Shot | 1544 (4.3) | 7650 (6.8) | 25 881 (13.7) | 10 959 (10.5) | 46 034 (10.4) | 37 354–54 713 |
| Contact with chemicals | 4402 (12.3) | 12 715 (11.3) | 13 112 (6.9) | 4173 (4.0) | 34 403 (7.8) | 25 058–43 749 |
| Fell | 3802 (10.6) | 5946 (5.3) | 3644 (1.9) | 1839 (1.8) | 15 231 (3.4) | 12 423–18 039 |
| Struck eye against an object | 1604 (4.5) | 3175 (2.8) | 3504 (1.8) | 1387 (1.3) | 9670 (2.2) | 7386–11 954 |
| Scratched or scraped | 214 (0.6)b | 1991 (1.8) | 4007 (2.1) | 2128 (2.0) | 8341 (1.9) | 6519–10 163 |
| Other | 114 (0.3)b | 852 (0.8)b | 613 (0.3)b | 416 (0.4)b | 1995 (0.5) | 1099–2891 |
| Not specified | 2169 (6.0) | 7695 (6.9) | 14 426 (7.6) | 11 463 (11.0) | 35 752 (8.1) | 26 238–45 266 |
| Object responsible for injury | ||||||
| Ball, puck, or birdie | 3603 (10.0) | 26 328 (23.4) | 53 414 (28.2) | 25 299 (24.3) | 108 643 (24.6) | 92 809–124 477 |
| Small particle(s) in eye | 8357 (23.3) | 15 237 (13.6) | 21 544 (11.4) | 9842 (9.5) | 54 980 (12.4) | 44 818–65 143 |
| Another person or body region | 1033 (2.9)b | 7035 (6.3) | 19 760 (10.4) | 17 956 (17.3) | 45 784 (10.4) | 37 958–53 611 |
| BB, pellet, or paintball | 1384 (3.9) | 7221 (6.4) | 25 511 (13.5) | 10 896 (10.5) | 45 012 (10.2) | 36 479–53 545 |
| Bat, club, stick, pole, or racquet | 2692 (7.5) | 7819 (7.0) | 7133 (3.8) | 2388 (2.3) | 20 032 (4.5) | 16 474–23 591 |
| Other or not specified | 18 842 (52.5) | 48 652 (43.3) | 62 232 (32.8) | 37 623 (36.2) | 167 348 (37.9) | 142 811–191 886 |
| Study total (row %)c | 35 911 (8.1) | 112 292 (25.4) | 189 594 (42.9) | 104 003 (23.5) | 441 800 (100.0) | 378 868–504 733 |
Column percentages may not sum to 100.0% because of a rounding error.
Estimate is potentially unstable because of sample size <20 cases, national estimate <1200 cases, or coefficient of variation >33.0%.
Row percentages may not sum to 100.0% because of a rounding error.