The ritual burning of incense in the form of joss sticks is a common Chinese cultural practice, especially during Chinese festivals for paying respect to ancestors or religious figures. We report four consecutive cases of ocular and corneal thermal injury by burning joss sticks, in paediatric patients who presented to our centre from March 2015 to October 2015. Given that incense burning is so commonly practiced in Hong Kong, there is a need to educate and raise awareness in order to prevent similar ocular and corneal injuries in future.
AverettN. Ritual risk: incense use and cardiovascular mortality. Environ Health Perspect2014; 122: A336–A336.
2.
TseLAYuITQiuHet al.A case-referent study of lung cancer and incense smoke, smoking, and residential radon in Chinese men. Environ Health Perspect2011; 119: 1641–1646.
3.
PanAClarkMLAngLWet al.Incense use and cardiovascular mortality among Chinese in Singapore: the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Environ Health Perspect2014; 122: 1279–1284.
4.
WangJZhouBTaoRQet al.Pediatric deep burns caused by hot incense ashes during 2014 Spring Festival in Fuyang city, China. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg2016; 22: 12–16.
5.
MahapatraRSPriyadarshiVMadduriVKet al.Transrectal impalement of an incense stick in a child presenting as foreign body in the urinary bladder. BMJ Case Rep2014. doi:10.1136/bcr-2014-204689.
6.
WitsamanRJComstockRDSmithGA. Pediatric fireworks-related injuries in the United States: 1990-2003. Pediatrics2006; 118: 296–303.
7.
SmithGAKnappJFBarnettTMet al.The rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air: fireworks-related injuries to children. Pediatrics1996; 98: 1–9.
8.
LeeCHSuWYLeeLet al.Pediatric ocular trauma in Taiwan. Chang Gung Med J2008; 31: 59–65.
9.
Opper S. Hong Kong's young children: Their early development and learning. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1996.
10.
HoskinAKPhilipSSYardleyAMet al.Eye injury prevention for the pediatric population. Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila)2016; 5: 202–211.