Search for a command to run...
Purpose: To characterize sports- and recreational activity- related orbital and ocular trauma presenting to a pediatric emergency department over an 11-year period. Methods: Data from the electronic medical record of a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center was used to identify all cases of orbital and ocular trauma that occurred during sports or recreational activities between 1/1/2010 and 3/1/2021 in patients age 0 to 18 years old. Variables collected included activity type, age, sex, race, injured region, diagnosis, and treatment plan. Activities were categorized as contact sports, non-contact sports, or recreational activities. Comparative analyses used chi-square, ANOVA, t-tests, and Fisher exact tests as appropriate. Results: A total of 278 cases met inclusion criteria. The most common activities were basketball (21.6%), biking (12.2%), baseball (11.9%), and football (11.5%). Activity categories included contact (n=115), non-contact (n=63), and recreational (n=100). Mean age differed significantly across activity categories, with children involved in contact-related activities being older on average (12.5 ± 4.0 years) than those in non-contact (9.3 ± 4.1 years) or recreational activities (8.0 ± 4.0 years; p< 0.001). Gender distribution varied across categories (p=0.047), with males predominating. Race also differed significantly (p< 0.0001); Black children had higher rates of contact-sport injuries (p< 0.0001), while White children were more represented in non-contact and recreational injuries (p=0.0031). Adnexal lacerations were the most frequent diagnosis, and overall diagnostic patterns did not differ by activity type (p=0.46). Orbital fractures were disproportionately associated with non-contact sports and White patients (p< 0.001, p=0.047). Site of injury (adnexa vs globe) was similar across groups. Most injuries were managed in the emergency department, though operative intervention was more common in recreational and non-contact categories (p=0.043). Activity-specific trends showed clustering of high-risk injuries, including orbital fractures in baseball and posterior segment injuries in basketball and soccer. Conclusions: Pediatric ocular trauma most commonly arises from contact sports and recreational activities. Distinct demographic and activity-specific patterns underscore the need for targeted prevention strategies and improved protective measures for high-risk activities.