An estimated 96 million people in the United States wear prescription eyeglasses. According to researchers at Columbus
Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) on the campus of Columbus Children’s Hospital, during a two-year period of time, more
than 26,000 people were treated in U.S. emergency departments for eyeglasses-related injuries, and six percent of these
injuries resulted in admission to the hospital. Columbus Children’s Hospital researchers also found that the mechanism of
injury differed according to the age of the person wearing the eyeglasses. The findings were presented May 15, 2005, at the
Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
“So many people wear eyeglasses, but until now, little was known about the injuries eyeglasses pose when broken,” said Huiyun
Xiang, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., the Center for Injury Research and Policy at CCRI and assistant professor of Pediatrics at The
Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. “Analyzing the data, we were able to look at the mechanism of
injury by both gender and age, with a specific focus on injuries among children.”
The research found that more than 21 percent of the 26,000 injuries occurred in children between the ages of 2 and 17 years.
Among children 2 through 9 years, the leading mechanism of injury was falling (accounting for 55 percent of the injuries in
this age group). Among children between the ages of 10 and 17, nearly 40 percent of the injuries occurred because of sports
activities, and another 10 percent of their injuries occurred due to car accidents. Males and females were found to be
equally likely to sustain injuries (53 percent and 47 percent, respectively).
For the research, Xiang and his research team evaluated 2002 and 2003 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance
System which analyzes consumer product injuries. Each case of eyeglasses-related injury-identified by a code-was examined to
identify the cause of injury.
“These findings are important because by first understanding the mechanism of injury likely to affect children, we can begin
to look at safety measures to prevent the injuries, such as safer eyeglasses designs and use of safety goggles during
sports,” said Sara Sinclair, M.P.H., research assistant at the Center for Injury Research and Policy.
As follow-up to this study, the team will begin further examining the mechanisms of injury. For example, identifying the
sports participants were engaged in during the eyeglasses injury and car accident-related injuries.
Columbus Children’s ranks among the top 10 in National Institutes of Health research awards and grants to freestanding
children’s hospitals in the country and houses the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine
and Public Health. With nearly 600,000 patient visits each year, Children’s Hospital is a 112-year-old pediatric healthcare
network treating newborns through age 21. In 2004, the Columbus Children’s Research Institute conducted more than 300
research projects and is the home of Centers of Emphasis encompassing gene therapy; molecular and human genetics; vaccines
and immunity; childhood cancer; cell and vascular biology; developmental pharmacology and toxicology; injury research and
policy; microbial pathogenesis; cardiovascular medicine; and biobehavioral health. Pediatric Clinical Trials International
(PCTI), a site management organization affiliated with the hospital, also coordinated more than 50 clinical trials. In
addition to having one of the largest ambulatory programs in the country, Children’s offers specialty programs and services.
More than 75,000 consumers receive health and wellness education each year and affiliation agreements with nearly 100
institutions allow more than 1,700 students and 500 residents to receive training at Children’s annually. More information on
Children’s Hospital of Columbus is available by calling (614) 722-KIDS (5437) or through the hospital’s Web site at columbuschildrens.
Columbus Children’s Hospital
Columbus, OH
United States
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