Globe rupture and total traumatic aniridia following blunt facial trauma 30 years after cataract surgery

Abstract

Modern advancements in surgical technique and intraocular implants have reduced the size of the incision required for cataract surgery. However, despite their small size, these wounds may constitute areas of weakness in the globe many years after healing. The inherent weakness from the healed incision may be the site of globe rupture following sudden, severe increases in intraocular pressure from blunt trauma to the eye or face. This case report discusses a 92-year-old woman who presented with a macrohyphema and globe rupture of the left eye following blunt facial trauma. Surgical globe repair was performed which revealed total traumatic aniridia and a posteriorly tilted intraocular lens. The patient progressed without complications and achieved a final visual acuity of 6/18 in the affected eye. This case highlights the lasting structural weakness following cataract surgery which may persist for years and leave the globe susceptible to rupture.

Keywords

• case report
• eye injuries
• globe rupture
• head injuries
• intraocular pressure
• iris
• lens implantation
• trauma
• visual acuity
• wounds