Needle-Stick Injuries in Ophthalmic Practice

Study Location

This important study took place in the largest tertiary eye care center in Saudi Arabia exploring sharps and needlestick injuries in an ophthalmic surgical environment. The unique risks associated with microsurgery create a challenging environment with high magnification fields combined with minimal room lighting. Many incidents occurred while administering ophthalmic injections, discarding needles and other similar activities.

Summary of Statistics

Over 40% of needlesticks reported where experienced by a physician, especially those undergoing training. Forty percent (40%) were experienced by nursing staff and seven percent (7%) by ophthalmic technicians. Over 30% of healthcare workers in the study had not received training on needlestick and sharps safety and prevention. This study encourages the evaluation of safety policies to be tailored to the unique requirements of the ophthalmic surgical environment.

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