Perforating eye injuries caused by occupational accidents treated at Helsinki University Eye Hospital 1970--1977

Abstract

This study concerns perforating eye injuries caused by occupational accidents in the years 1970--1977. These injuries represented 40% of all perforations treated during this period at Helsinki University Eye Hospital. The results were compared with the previous series from this hospital for the years 1950--1951 and 1930--1939. Of the patients 92% were males, a slight percentage decrease from the fifties. The youngest age group, 16--25 years, was also the largest (30%). Earlier the next age group, 26--35 years, was largest. The proportion of workers in building construction with eye injuries increased remarkably to 26.6%. Metal workers made up another large group affected by eye perforations (24.5%). Agricultural work lost its importance as the cause of perforations as compared with the previous decades. The commonest cause of eye accidents was still hammering. Flying objects, especially metal splinters, were important causes now as well as in the previous series. Prognosis was much better in the present series than earlier: 60% of patients achieved vision of 0.5 or better, as compared with 40% in the fifties and 20% in the thirties.