J Korean Med Sci.  2011 May;26(5):675-678. 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.5.675.

Association of Alcohol Consumption with the Risk of Ocular Trauma

• Han SB
• Yang HK
• Woo SJ
• Hyon JY
• Hwang JM

• KMID: 1777868
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.5.675

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of alcohol consumption on the risk of ocular trauma. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1,024 patients who visited emergency department and received ophthalmologic examination from January 1 to December 31, 2009. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with ocular trauma (n = 494) and those without (n = 530); the influence of alcohol consumption was compared between these 2 groups. In the ocular trauma group, the association of the causes and types of ocular trauma with alcohol consumption was evaluated. One of 530 patients of no trauma group and 117 (23.7%) of 494 patients of trauma group were related with alcohol intake, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Concerning the causes, physical assault was significantly more common in alcohol-associated injury (P < 0.001). Regarding the types of injury, orbital wall fracture and hyphema showed a significant association with alcohol consumption (P < 0.001). Older age and nighttime injury were significantly related to the increased risk of alcohol-associated ocular trauma (P = 0.018 and < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of ocular trauma.

Keyword

Alcohols; Alcohol-associated Ocular Trauma; Assault; Ocular Trauma; Eye Injuries

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alcohol Drinking/*adverse effects
Child
Child, Preschool
Emergency Service, Hospital
Eye Injuries/*chemically induced
Female
Humans
Hyphema/*chemically induced/epidemiology
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Middle Aged
Orbital Fractures/*chemically induced/epidemiology
Republic of Korea
Risk
Vision, Ocular

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