Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul;29(7):867-71.
doi: 10.1038/eye.2015.39. Epub 2015 Mar 27.

The role of computerised tomography in predicting visual outcome in ocular trauma patients

R Chaudhary  1 , M Upendran  1 , N Campion  2 , A Yeung  1 , R Blanch  2 , P Morgan-Warren  2 , I Gibb  3 , T Nelson  4 , R Scott  5
Affiliations

The role of computerised tomography in predicting visual outcome in ocular trauma patients

R Chaudhary et al. Eye (Lond). 2015 Jul.

Erratum in

Abstract

Purpose: Ocular blast injuries in the military setting are particularly associated with significant maxillofacial trauma and/or brain injury. The opportunity to perform a comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation is frequently limited in the acute multiple trauma scenario. We aim to describe the relationship between the clinical effects of acute ocular and orbital blast trauma with the findings on computerised tomography (CT).

Methods: This was a retrospective consecutive case series of all soldiers with facial and/or suspected ocular injuries. A total of 80 eyes that had suffered blast injuries of varying severity were studied. Assessment of orbital and ocular CT images were performed by military consultant radiologists. A comparison was made with actual clinical findings. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test.

Results: No pathological findings were described in 37 of the 80 eyes imaged by orbital and ocular CT scans. Clinically, these eyes and orbits were all found to be intact, or had minor trauma. All foreign bodies and penetrating eye injuries were successfully diagnosed by CT. Absence of an orbital fracture did not rule out a globe injury. However, a corneal or scleral defect was less likely when an orbital fracture was absent.

Conclusion: The eye is a delicate structure prone to injury that requires urgent repair if breached. It is difficult to assess thoroughly in the unconscious or distressed patient. In this context, CT imaging is invaluable to be able to make a relatively confident prediction of clinical findings and decide upon the necessity for acute ophthalmic surgical intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A 1.5 mm metallic corneal foreign body.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A 2.4 mm metallic IOFB with intraconal air.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Anterior and posterior segment intraocular air.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A medial orbital and floor fracture.
Figure 5
Figure 5
A blood-filled globe with either rupture or penetrating injury and a lateral orbital wall fracture from a facial gunshot injury.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cheung CA, Rogers-Martel M, Golas L, Chepurny A, Martel JB, Martel JR.Hospital-based ocular emergencies: epidemiology, treatment, and visual outcomes Am J Emerg Med 201332(3221–224.pii: S0735-6757. - PubMed
    1. Wagner PJ, Lang GK. Mechanical ocular trauma. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 1996;7 (4:57–64. - PubMed
    1. May DR, Kuhn FP, Morris RE, Witherspoon CD, Danis RP, Matthews GP, et al. The epidemiology of serious eye injuries from the United States Eye Injury Registry. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2000;238 (2:153–157. - PubMed
    1. Belkin M. Ocular war injuries in the Yom Kippur war. J Ocul Ther Surg. 1983;2:40–49.
    1. Gombos GM. Ocular war injuries in Jerusalem. Am J Ophthalmol. 1969;68:474–478. - PubMed

Publication types