Mirza Shafiq Ali Baig, Mashooduz Zafar, Mohammad Anwar, Mansoor Rab, Abdul Rasheed Khokhar, Idrees Adhi.
Major ocular trauma: an analysis of 98 cases.
Pak J Surg Jan ;20(2):96-100.

Ocular trauma (OT) is a common but preventable disease. A total of 102 eyes with OT involving 98 admitted patients were analyzed in a retrospective study spanning over a period from Jan. 2001 to Jan. 2004 in Ophthalmology Unit II of Civil Hospital, Karachi.The aims of the study were to identify etiological factors, to assess the visual outcome and to explore possible methods of reduction of OT in our setting. Out of the 98 patients, 92 (93.88%) were males and the commonest age group involved was 11-30 years with 64 (65.30%) cases. OT most frequently (72.44%) occurred in out-door cases, mostly from sharp objects (68.36%), followed by blunt objects (26.53%) and intra-ocular foreign bodies (3.06%). Primary enucleation was done in four cases, and the patients were followed-up for a mean period of 20 months. Phthisis bulbi occurred in two patients, but none developed sympathetic ophthalmitis, siderosis bulbi or post-operative infections. Predictors of better visual outcome i.e. visual acuity (VA) 6/12 or better were initial VA of hand movement, wound location anterior to the plane of insertion of recti, wound length of 10mm or less, and sharp injuries. Even blunt trauma when tackled urgently and methodically gives excellent final visual outcome. Major causes of decreased VA were astigmatism, central corneal scar and central retinal injury. This study has identified that OT requiring hospital admission remains a serious problem. Prevention, as the optimum management of trauma, should however remain a priority in order to reduce morbidity and costs.

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