Demographic characteristics and visual prognosis of open globe ınjuries in an ındustrialized region of Turkey, east Thrace.

BACKGROUND: Open globe injuries cause monocular blindness in young and active populations in industrial areas, resulting in significant loss of work capacity. Determining demographic data and prognostic factors related to these injuries in Eastern Thrace, an industrial region of Türkiye, is crucial for developing preventive strategies and improving final visual acuity. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical repair due to open globe injury between December 2014 and April 2025 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic features, cause, time, location of injury, type of occurrence, previous pathology, lens status, secondary complications, and visual acuity were evaluated. For the evaluation of functional visual outcome, the cases were divided into two groups as LP group with light perception or better vision in final visual acuity, and NLP group with no light perception. RESULTS: A total of 132 patients (mean age 39.7 ± 23.1 years; 80.3% male) were included. Industrial injuries were the most frequent cause (38.6%), followed by home injuries (35.6%) and traffic accidents (12.1%). Metal was the leading causative agent (45.5%). Men were most often injured at work, while women were most often injured at home (P = 0.023, P = 0.009). Patients in the NLP group were older and more frequently female (P = 0.004, P = 0.036). The mean Ocular Trauma Score was significantly lower in the NLP group (35.4 vs. 59.2, P < 0.001). Patients with very low initial visual acuity demonstrated variable final outcomes, with some showing marked improvement after cataract surgery, while others remained severely impaired due to complications such as retinal detachment or endophthalmitis. In multivariate logistic regression, only preoperative visual acuity and gender remained independent prognostic factors for final visual outcome, while other factors (e.g., age, mechanism and severity of injury, ocular trauma score) lost significance after adjustment. CONCLUSION: Preoperative visual acuity and gender are the strongest prognostic factors for final outcome in open globe injuries. Metal-induced industrial injuries are the most common cause of open globe injuries in the industrial region of Turkey and are mostly seen in young men. With this study, it is recommended to increase the occupational safety measures for eye protection in this region and ensure that workers in hazardous environments have access to and wear eye safety equipment at all work times.