Medicolegal evaluation of commotio retinae resulting from blunt eye trauma: a case report

Abstract

The injury resulting from eye trauma cause significant social and economic loss on the basis of individual and community. A significant part of these injuries is caused by blunt eye trauma. The Guidelines for the Medico-legal evaluation of wounding crimes defined in Turkish Criminal Law states under the title of eye lesions that traumatic lesions (edema, laceration, dislocation, bleeding) of retinae cannot be treated by simple medical intervention. Our study aims to discuss traumatic lesions resulting from blunt eye injuries in medicolegal perspective, with the findings determined in a case who admitted our clinic with the request of the judicial report. In the medical documents of a 10 years old girl about whom is requested a judicial report because of her left eye injury resulting from blunt trauma, indicated following: During her examination in the first health care institution she admitted, abrasions around left eye and conjunctival hyperemia were detected, thereafter in the eye policlinic the commotio retinae was identified. If the initial examination findings are taken into consideration, one can conclude that injury is mild; therefore, it can be treated with basic medical interventions, however, commotio retinae diagnosis in subsequent examinations result in the inability of treatment of the injury with basic medical interventions. We think that making retinal assessment with fundus examination for the complete revelation of injury occurring in blunt eye trauma and accurate determination of resultant damage is important regarding contribution to legal procedure.

Keywords

• blunt eye trauma
• commotio retinae
• forensic medicine