Evaluation of Ophthalmic Surgical Injuries Presenting to an Ophthalmology Emergency Department

Abstract

Aim:To determine the incidence and clinical characteristics of patients who presented with an ophthalmic emergency and required ophthalmic surgical intervention.Materials and Methods:Patients who presented at our ophthalmology department with surgical ocular traumatic injuries from 2017 to 2018 were retrospectively examined. Information about demographic characteristics, details of the injury, diagnoses, examinations, and surgical procedures was obtained. The time between the occurrence of eye injury and presenting to the hospital and time of surgery were also recorded.Results:Thirty-eight eyes of 35 patients [74% males and 26% females (mean age: 31±19)] were included. Three cases were bilateral. The main causes of ocular surgical injuries were traffic accidents (15 eyes; 39%), work accidents (11 eyes; 29%), assault (five eyes; 13%), and other causes (seven eyes; 18%). The most frequent was eye penetrating injury (58%). Most of the operations (33 eyes; 87%) were performed on the first day of the injury, while the rest were performed between the first and tenth days. Twenty-eight eyes (74%) underwent a single operation, while additional surgical procedures were necessary in 10 eyes (26%). Twenty patients (57%) were admitted to the ophthalmology service. There was an improvement in the visual acuity in 19 eyes (50%), no change in 12 eyes (32%), and worsening in seven eyes (18%).Conclusion:Surgery-requiring ophthalmologic injuries involve mainly males at younger ages, and traffic accidents are the most common cause of trauma. In 50% of these patients, an increase in the visual acuity was observed after surgery, so performing a correct surgery as early as possible can prevent visual impairment and blindness.

Keywords

• eye injuries
• penetrating
• emergencies
• surgical procedures
• operative