Objective:

To analyze eye diagnoses in children and adults admitted to an emergency room of a Latin American center.

Method:

Retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the emergency room of Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo García E.S.E in Cali, Colombia, from January 2015 through December 2020 due to eye conditions and disorders. Diagnoses were analyzed according to the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision.

Results:

A total of 7938 urgent visits due to eye diseases or disorders were analyzed. Of these 62.7% (n = 4974) were blunt eye traumas, and among the non-traumatic causes, 13.8% (n = 1099) were anterior segment injuries, and 9.5% (n = 757) were posterior segment injuries. The leading diagnoses were cornea/conjunctiva foreign body (n = 2697, 34.0%), followed by eye contusion (n = 952, 12.0%) and other disorders of the cornea/conjunctiva (n = 755, 9.5%). Among the foreign body visits, 5.1% (n = 137) were recurrent events. In patients under 18 years of age, more cases of contusions, eye burns, and tumors were reported compared to other age groups (P < .05). In patients over 65 years of age, more urgent visits due to conjunctival hemorrhage, secondary glaucoma, macular degeneration, and endophthalmitis were reported (P < .05).

Conclusions:

In children, adolescents, and adults, eye trauma was the most common cause for consultation in the study period, especially among men. The corneal foreign body was the most common mechanism. Visits due to anterior and posterior segment injuries were common in patients over 65 years.

        · resumo em Espanhol     · texto em Espanhol     · Espanhol ( pdf )