Epidemiological profile of visits in a public ophthalmic emergency service

Abstract Objective: To identify the most frequent diagnosis and epidemiological characteristics of patients attended in a public ophthalmic emergency service. Methods: This is a retrospective and transverse study based on 2834 patients' chart attended from July to September 2017 at the Ouro Verde Hospital Complex, Campinas, Brazil. The following variables were investigated: age, gender, and diagnosis. Results: Most patients were male (52.6%) and aged between 30 to 59 years (43.5%); 21.1% were elderly. The most frequent diagnostics were conjunctivitis (23.9%), ocular trauma (15.7%), and ocular surface disorders (14.6%). Infectious/inflammatory conditions predominated among children and female; 83.6% of traumas occurred in man, and 62.2% were due to a foreign body. Conclusion: The most prevalent diagnoses in the ophthalmologic emergency department were infectious conjunctivitis and ocular trauma. Education and prevention measures are necessary to reduce morbidity and absenteeism and to avoid inappropriate use of specialized emergency services.