To investigate the clinical and social characteristics of non-penetrating ocular injuries and use the results for treatment and prevention.

A retrospective survey was performed on 468 eyes of 421 patients, who visited our clinic due to non-penetrating ocular injuries from January 2010 to December 2010. The incidence of ocular injuries, sex, age, monthly and seasonal distribution, side, cause, influence of alcohol, and change in visual acuity were reviewed statistically.

The incidence of non-penetrating ocular injuries was 4.9%. The incidence was more common in males (82.9%), in the 3rd decade of life (23.5%) and in summer (30.8%). Minor injuries (36.1%) were the most common caused by scratches, finger pricks, nails, or small foreign bodies. The second common cause was violence (16.4%), followed by traffic accidents (14.7%). The injuries related to alcohol represented 12.6% of all cases. When considering initial diagnoses, periorbital contusion and corneal abrasion were the most common. The initial visual acuity was less than 20/200 in 9.4% of the eyes and the final acuity after a 6-months of treatment was less than 20/200 in 3.0% of the eyes.

This survey gathered the clinical and social characteristics as well as new insights into non-penetrating ocular injuries which can be used for treatment and prevention.