Author Block: Shanna Carlie Yeung, Grace Qiao, Karyn Caplette, Simon Warner

Author Disclosure Block: S.C. Yeung: None. G. Qiao: None. K. Caplette: None. S. Warner: None.

Abstract Body:

Purpose: Badminton is a major cause of sports-related ocular injuries in Vancouver, British Columbia. The racquets and shuttlecocks pose risks due to their speed, density and size, often bypassing the protective walls of the bony orbit. This study describes the frequency, types and severity of acute badminton-related ocular injuries seen in a tertiary eye care centre in Vancouver between 2013 and 2019.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Methods: Medical charts from visits to a tertiary eye care centre in Vancouver between March 2017 and October 2019 were reviewed. In addition, non-identifying surveillance data from Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Emergency Department visits between January 1, 2013 and October 21, 2019 were analyzed for badminton-related injuries by using keyword searches.

Results: From the tertiary centre, 36 patients received ophthalmic care for badminton-related ocular injuries. Of these, 27 were new consultations, with trauma occurring between March 2017 to October 2019, and 9 were follow-up visits for injuries sustained prior to March 2017. The median patient age was 48.5 years. Shuttlecock impact caused 30 injuries, racquet impact caused 5, and 1 had an unspecified mechanism. Injuries were more frequent in the right eye (24) compared to the left (12). The most common ocular injuries identified were hyphema (25 cases), angle recession (15), mydriasis (13, of which 4 were persistent), commotio retinae (8), elevated intraocular pressure (6), iritis (3), and posterior vitreous detachment (3). All angle recession cases required annual monitoring for glaucoma. One patient developed secondary glaucoma as a complication. Eight patients required interventional management (2 anterior chamber washouts, 1 pars plana vitrectomy, 2 laser retinopexies for operculated holes, 1 cataract surgery, 1 repositioning of subluxed posterior chamber intraocular lens). From the emergency department records, 100 badminton-related eye injuries were extracted. The distribution of eye injuries was similar to non-eye related badminton injuries when stratified by age, gender, place of residence, seasonality and acuity. Between 2011 and 2019, an eye was injured in 17% of all badminton injuries, and badminton accounted for 0.4% of eye injuries resulting from any cause.

Conclusions: Badminton-related ocular trauma can result in vision-impairing injuries and activity-limiting rehabilitation. In more severe cases, surgical intervention or long-term monitoring for secondary vision-threatening complications was required. Our future goals are to increase public awareness about the risk of badminton-related ocular trauma, and to promote injury mitigation through an intervention to mandate or encourage the use of protective eye wear.