ESCRS - POCOR144 - Incidence Of Injurious Fall In Patients Before And After Corneal Transplantation In Hong Kong: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Incidence Of Injurious Fall In Patients Before And After Corneal Transplantation In Hong Kong: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Published 2026 - 44th Congress of the ESCRS

Reference: POCOR144 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/7w68-hq67

Authors: Dr Juila Chan* 1 , Dr Lloyd Chan 2

1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences,The Chinese University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong,Hong Kong, 2School of Health Sciences,University of New South Wales,Sydney,Australia

Purpose

To compare and contrast the incidence rate of injurious falls in before and after corneal tranplantation. 

Setting

Patient pending corneal transplantation are theroratically prone to fall due to the impared visual perception. Injurious fall create a signficant financial and healthcare burden due to subsequent hospitalisation and rehabilitation. By examining the incidence rate of fall, policies and guidelines catered to fall prevention can be developed and carried out.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China (Hong Kong), which has a population of approximately 7.53 million. Data were extracted from the Eye Bank Management System (EBMS) and the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS). The study population comprised Individuals listed for corneal transplantation who subsequently underwent the surgery between 1st  October 2016 (system inception) and 31st August 2025. 

 

Results

A total of 2001 individuals were included in this study. During the waitlist period, the incidence rate of injurious falls was 58.57 per 1,000 person-years. During the first three months following corneal transplantation, the corresponding incidence rate was 53.09 per 1,000 person-years.

 

Using indirect age- and sex- standardisation with 2018 Hong Kong population injurious fall rates as the reference, individuals awaiting corneal transplantation had a substantially higher incidence rate of injurious falls, with a standardised incidence ratio of 5.19 (95%CI: 4.18 to 6.36). 

In the post-operative period, the incidence ratio was 4.64 (95%CI 3.90 to 5.61), corresponding to more than a four-fold higher incidence than expected.

Conclusions

Patients on waitlist for corneal transplantation are of significantly high risk of fall, so as those received corneal transplantation. Ophthalmologists should be aware of the potential systemic harzard associated with injurious fall in addition to ophthalmic recovery.