New Zealand adult ocular trauma study: A 10‐year national review of 332418 cases of ocular injury in adults aged 18 to 99years

ImportanceOcular injury is a common, preventable cause of temporary and permanent disability.BackgroundThe current study evaluates the nationwide incidence, demographics and visual outcomes of adults with ocular injury in New Zealand.DesignNationwide retrospective review.ParticipantsNew Zealanders aged 18‐99 years from 2007 to 2016 with ocular injury requiring assessment by a registered medical practitioner.MethodsNew Zealand national and regional datasets were used to evaluate population‐level statistics over a 10‐year period. Visual and clinical outcome data were assessed using a random sample of 150 patients from a tertiary hospital.Main Outcome MeasuresAnnual incidence, aetiology, demographics, injury location, visual outcomes, protective eyewear use, surgical intervention and follow‐up.ResultsA total of 332 418 adult eye injuries were recorded nationally. The annual incidence of eye injury was 1007/100 000 population/year. Patients were predominantly male (76.1%), of New Zealand‐European ethnicity (74.6%) and aged between 20 and 29 years (21.1%). The most common mechanism of injury was “struck by object” (55.4%). Injuries occurred most commonly at home (48.4%), followed by commercial (15%) and industrial locations (13.8%). Injuries were more common in rural regions (P