The following is the summary of “Epidemiology of ocular injuries associated with landscaping tools” published in the December 2022 issue of Emergency medicine by Oydanich, et al.

This retrospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between the years 2010 and 2019 with the goal of determining and evaluating the trends in ocular injuries that have been connected with landscaping activities and equipment. These injuries can be caused by a variety of factors, including flying debris, sharp objects, and dust. The activities associated with gardening were responsible for a total of 168,845 eye injuries that were reported to medical professionals. 

During the months of June, July, and August during the course of the summers, the majority of these events, which accounted for 80.4% of them, took place in men between the ages of 41 and 60. The vast majority of eye injuries, which account for 97.8% of all cases, did not need the patient’s admission to the hospital. However, 42%  of those who required medical attention sustained open globe damage (n=399). The findings of this investigation provide helpful information for emergency room physicians and ophthalmologists in understanding the prevalence of these landscaping-associated ocular injuries, and they further draw suspicion for the incidence of open globe injuries in this population. 

This investigation was conducted to better understand the prevalence of these landscaping-associated ocular injuries. The purpose of this work was to have a better understanding of the occurrence of these ocular ailments that are connected with gardening. The results of this study were analyzed in an effort to gain a deeper comprehension of the nature and frequency of the ocular conditions that are associated with gardening.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675722006258