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Citation
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Koisaari TA, Leivo T, Sahraravand A, Haavisto AK, Sulander P, Tervo TM. Traffic Injury Prev. 2017; 18(5): 493-499. |
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Affiliation
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Helsinki University, Ophthalmology , P.O. Box 220, Helsinki , 00029 HUS Finland. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE We studied the correlation between airbag deployment and eye injuries using two different data sets.
METHODS The registry of the Finnish Road Accident (FRA) Investigation Teams (RAIT) was analyzed to study severe head- and eyewear-related injuries. All fatal passenger car or van accidents that occurred during the years 2009-12 (4 years) were included (n = 734). Cases in which the driver's front airbag was deployed were subjected to analysis (n = 409). To determine the proportion of minor, potentially airbag-related eye injuries, the results were compared to the data for all new eye injury patients (n = 1151) recorded at the Emergency Clinic of the Helsinki University Eye Hospital (HUEH) during one year, from 1.5.2011-30.4.2012.
RESULTS In the FRA dataset, the unbelted drivers showed a significantly higher risk of death (OR = 5.89, 95% CI 3.33-10.9, p-) or of sustaining head injuries (OR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.59-3.97, p-). Only four of the 1151 HUEH patients were involved in a passenger car accident. In one of the crashes, the airbag operated, and the belted driver received two sutured eye lid wounds and showed conjunctival sugillation. No permanent eye injuries were recorded during the follow-up. The calculated annual airbag-related eye injury incidence was less than 1/1 000 000 people, 4/100 000 accidents and 4/10 000 injured occupants.
CONCLUSIONS Airbag-related eye injuries occurred very rarely in car accidents in cases where the occupant survived and the restraint system was appropriately used. Spectacle use did not appear to increase the risk of eye injury in restrained occupants.
Language: en |