Comparison of Ocular Trauma Between Normalized and The COVID-19 Epidemic Periods in China: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study (preprint)

Background: To compare the feature of ocular trauma between normalized period and the COVID-19 epidemic period in China, to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control eye injuries in special times in future. Methods: : This study is a multi-center cross-sectional study with 30 participated hospitals involving the China Ocular Trauma Society members. All hospitalized cases who visited the ophthalmology department in participated hospitals with eye injuries during the normalized period (2019) and the COVID-19 epidemic period (2020) were included in this study. Demographic characteristic of cases, date of injury, sites and types of injury were collected. Results: : This study involved 13525 (61cases with both eyes) injured cases. There were 7269 (53.74%) eye-injured cases and 6256 (46.26%) eye-injured cases in 2019 and 2020 separately. Compared with 2019, the incidence of ocular trauma in retirees, housewives and unemployed increased with year-on-year of 4.96%, 102.67% and 11.64% among all occupations. In 2020, the incidence of eye injuries decreased in all injury sites except for an increase in home (30.29% year-on-year). The incidence of mechanical eye injuries decreased, while that of non-mechanical eye injuries (Chemical/Thermal/Radiation) increased (47.45% year-on-year). There were 255 (3.50%, 255/7269) and 376 (6.01%, 376/6256) non-mechanical injured cases in 2019 and 2020 (Pearson chi2 = 47.33, P < 0.001) separately. Conclusions: : During the COVID-19 epidemic period, the incidence of eye injuries decreased. The prevention and control measures should be focused on the non-mechanical injuries, and the retirees, unemployed and housewives during public events period in future.