Open Globe Injuries From Garage Door Springs

Abstract

We describe seven patients who were attempting to repair their garage door when a spring dislodged at high velocity, resulting in open globe injury. All patients were seen at Massachusetts Eye and Ear between the years 2008 and 2023. Their final visual acuities ranged from 20/125 to no light perception. Open globe injury appears to be a risk of attempts to repair a garage door by people who are inexperienced in doing so. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:666-669.].

Figure 1.. External photograph of a patient upon presentation.

Photograph shows a severely deformed globe with extrusion of intraocular contents through a zone I-II-III wound.

Figure 2:. Schematic of a garage door with two springs.

Diagram shows the torsion spring and the extension spring which can both cause injury, though garage doors typically have one or the other. This diagram is simplified for schematic purposes and does not represent all components of a garage door.