Epidemiological Trends and Inequalities in Eye Injuries Among Children and Adolescents Aged 0–19 Years: A Comprehensive Analysis of Global, Regional, and National Data From 1990 to 2021

Background: Eye injury is a leading cause of blindness and vision loss worldwide, with children and adolescents being particularly vulnerable. This study aimed to evaluate the global, regional, and national burden of eye injuries among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2021. Methods: This is a population-based analysis using data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Eye injury estimates for children and adolescents aged under 20 years, including incidence and years lived with disability (YLDs), were collected and then analyzed by age, sex, and location. The association between sociodemographic index (SDI) and eye injury burden was also investigated. Results: From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized YLD rate (ASYR) for child and adolescent eye injuries decreased by 21.6% and 21.4%, respectively. In 2021, an estimated 11,547,996 children and adolescents worldwide suffered from eye injuries, causing 84,790 YLDs. Boys and adolescents aged 15-19 years had a higher burden. Regionally, South Asia had the highest number of incident cases in 2021, whereas Australasia reported the highest ASIR and ASYR. Nationally, India had the most incident cases, whereas New Zealand had the highest ASIR and ASYR. The SDI-based analysis revealed that children and adolescents in higher SDI countries had higher ASIR and ASYR than their counterparts in lower SDI countries. Unintentional injuries were the leading cause of child and adolescent eye injuries globally. Conclusions: Despite a decline in age-standardized rates of eye injuries globally, eye injury burden remained substantial for children and adolescents. The burden varied by sex, age, location, and SDI, which highlighted the importance of targeted prevention strategies.