Approximately 2.0 – 2.4 million eye-related emergency department (ED) visits are conducted annually in the United States (US), of which an estimated 41% are categorized as emergent. 1 Centers for Disease Control
Average Annual Rate of Eye-Related Emergency Department Visits for Injuries and Medical Conditions,* by Age Group — United States, 2007–2010.

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,2 Channa R. Zafar S.N. Canner J.K. Haring R.S. Schneider E.B. Friedman D.S. Epidemiology of eye-related emergency department visits. Ocular injuries contribute significantly to patient morbidity, and are associated with reductions in both visual function and quality of life. 3 Yüksel H. Türkcü F.M. Şahin M. et al. Vision-related quality of life in patients after ocular penetrating injuries. ,4 Kuhn F. Morris R. Witherspoon C.D. Mann L.R. Epidemiology of blinding trauma in the United States Eye Injury Registry. An estimated 27% of serious ocular injuries in the US, defined as trauma causing permanent and significant structural or functional change, result in legal blindness, defined as a visual acuity of worse than 20/200. 4 Kuhn F. Morris R. Witherspoon C.D. Mann L.R. Epidemiology of blinding trauma in the United States Eye Injury Registry. In addition, approximately 2% of patients presenting to the emergency department with eye-related complaints require hospitalization. 2 Channa R. Zafar S.N. Canner J.K. Haring R.S. Schneider E.B. Friedman D.S. Epidemiology of eye-related emergency department visits. The mean annual cost of treating patients with primary or secondary eye diagnoses who require hospitalization has been estimated at $122 million and $1.2 billion, respectively. 5 Iftikhar M. Latif A. Farid U.Z. Usmani B. Canner J.K. Shah S.M.A. Changes in the Incidence of Eye Trauma Hospitalizations in the United States from 2001 Through 2014.