Perforating eye injuries. (in children)

George Carlin, the comedian, states that he grew up with his mother frequently stating, "be careful or you'll poke your eye out." George's mother was correct in that perforating eye injuries are the most common cause of monocular blindness in children.

Researchers in England studied this issue and retrospectively reviewed 143 cases of eye injury presenting to their eye clinic over a 10-year period. As would be expected, boys injuring themselves outnumbered girls by a ratio of four to one. The following table breaks down the etiology of injuries:

As can be seen from the table, most injuries occur at home or at play. Eight percent of the injuries were the …