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
Review
. 2025 Jan 11:19:119-127.
doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S489585. eCollection 2025.

Ocular Injuries and Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of the Literature

Grace Baldwin  1 , John B Miller  1
Affiliations
Review

Ocular Injuries and Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of the Literature

Grace Baldwin et al. Clin Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause of death and disability across the world. We sought to investigate the prevalence and clinical presentation of ocular injuries in IPV.

Recent findings: Literature review revealed 16 published studies that evaluated ocular injuries in IPV, of which the study types included 9 retrospective studies, 2 prospective, 1 review, 1 invited commentary, 2 case reports, and 1 population-based cross-sectional survey. These studies suggest that 45% of IPV incidents involve ocular injury. Various injury types have been described including traumatic cataract, dislocated lens, retinal detachment, intraocular hemorrhage, orbital and zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures, optic nerve avulsion, and open globe injuries. Implementation of IPV screening programs in various clinical settings, including an emergency department evaluating ocular trauma, suggests a positive association with identification of IPV and improving access to resources.

Summary: Within IPV, ocular injuries are a prevalent and important cause of vision loss. Various injuries have been reported affecting nearly every anatomical region of the eye. Routine screening for IPV among patients that present with ocular injuries and evaluating for visual complaints among patients experiencing IPV are both important. Future work focused on prospective studies and evaluation of screening techniques may be impactful.

Keywords: intimate partner violence; ocular injuries; trauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

JBM: Consultant for Alcon, Allergan, Carl Zeiss, Sunovion, Topcon, and Genentech. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphic Illustrating Various Ocular Injuries that have been Associated with Intimate Partner Violence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Patra P, Prakash J, Patra B, Khanna P. Intimate partner violence: wounds are deeper. Indian J Psychiatry. 2018;60(4):494–498. doi:10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_74_17 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sardinha L, Maheu-Giroux M, Stöckl H, Meyer SR, García-Moreno C. Global, regional, and national prevalence estimates of physical or sexual, or both, intimate partner violence against women in 2018. Lancet. 2022;399(10327):803–813. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)02664-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Basile KC, Black MC, Breiding MJ, et al. National intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 summary report. 2011.;
    1. Coulibaly TA, Béogo R, Traoré I, Kohoun HM, Ili BV. Inter personal violence-related facial injuries: a 10-year survey. J Oral Med Oral Surg. 2018;24(1):2–5. doi:10.1051/mbcb/2017038 - DOI
    1. Powers RA, Kaukinen CE. Trends in intimate partner violence: 1980-2008. J Interpers Violence. 2012;27(15):3072–3090. doi:10.1177/0886260512441077 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources