Trends and risk factors among adults admitted to the emergency department with fall-related eye injuries.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Eye injuries can happen to people of any age and for many reasons; among these is a fall. The aims of this study were to: (1) examine trends among fall-related eye injuries in working-age and older adults admitted to the emergency department (ED) from 2012 to 2021; and (2) investigate and compare the risk factors associated with fall-related eye injuries between working-age adults and older adults. DESIGN: We examined a retrospective cohort in the 2012-2021 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) databases. We used the Cochran-Armitage test for trend to determine the fall-related eye injury trend from 2012 to 2021. The associations among fall-related eye injuries, demographics, accident-related environments, and disposition, were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among the total of 1,290,205 adults with eye injuries from 2012 to 2021, the incidence rate of fall-related eye injuries was higher in older adults (ranged from 9.0% to 17.4%) than in working-age adults (ranged from 3.7% to 7.1%). Over consecutive years, the number and annual incident rate of both working-age and older adults experiencing fall-related eye injuries increased significantly (all p ≤0.001). Patients who were female (odds ratio [OR] = 1.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.39-1.83), Black/African American (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.47-2.10) had significantly higher odds of fall-related eye injuries. The highest odds ratios found among all of the reported product categories for the fall-related eye injuries were an accident with home structures such as doors (OR = 12.65, 95% CI = 10.00-16.01) and an accident with home furnishings (OR = 11.65, 95% CI = 9.18-14.78) compared to an accident with workshop equipment. Patients who experienced fall-related eye injuries were more likely to be hospitalized/ have an inpatient stay (OR = 7.41, 95% CI = 5.78-9.52) after the ED treatment than those who treated and released after ED visit. CONCLUSION: Among Americans treated in the ED for injury, fall-related eye injuries are increasingly common, especially among older adults, and associated with a need for inpatient care. Therefore, these findings suggest opportunities to investigate fall prevention and eye protection interventions, especially in the home setting.

Duke Scholars

Author Kimberly Hreha Orthopaedic Surgery, Occupational Therapy

Author Heather Elizabeth Whitson Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care