Eye trauma in children and adolescents: Perspectives from a developing country and validation of the ocular trauma score

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current causes of ocular trauma and to assess the prognostic value of the ocular trauma score (OTS) in children. DESIGN: Prospective observational study of children with ocular trauma in Sao Paulo, Brazil, over 1 year. METHODS: Initial OTS categories were calculated for each patient and compared with the final visual result. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients were included; most were male (73%). Mean age was 7.3 years. Closed globe trauma was the most frequent (74%), followed by open-globe trauma (10.4%). Household items were mainly responsible for the trauma. Correlation between the predicted and achieved visual acuity was good (Kendall tau-b = 0.7192). CONCLUSION: Closed globe is the most frequent trauma in children and adolescents, and some injuries could be prevented by safety measures and closer adult supervision. The OTS was shown to have limited value in predicting long-term visual acuity in children and adolescents.