EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED BECAUSE OF CHEMICAL INJURY OF AN EYE

<p>Chemical injuries of the eye i.e. causoma means 4% up to 10% of all ocular trauma cases. Purpose: to determinate basic socio-epidemiologic characteristics of patients who has been hospitalized due to causoma. Method: prospective case control study carried on 54 patients who havå been treated at Department of Ophthalmology Health Center K.Mitrovica and Clinic of Eye Disease in Nis. Results: in total, 40 male and 14 women were injured (mean age 41.8 years). The bricklayers, painters and construction-workers are the most frequent injured. Injuries caused by alkalis were significant prevailing in relation to those caused by acids (64.8% vs. 35.2). Monocular causoma were almost twice more frequent. Accident as a manner of injury was in 96.3% of all cases. Men were injured by caustic lime and sulphuric acid while women were injured by sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid and acetate acid. More serious clinical appearance had a patients with injuries caused by explosion of accumulator because of associated mechanical injuries of the eye.</p>