[EPIDEMIOLOGY, CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PROGNOSTIC FACTORS, AND VISUAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH OPEN OCULAR INJURIES AND INTRAOCULAR FOREIGN BODIES].

AIMS: To describe and identify clinical characteristics, prognostic factors and visual outcome in patients with intraocular foreign bodies (IOFB) in southern Israel. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of all cases of open globe injury with IOFB treated and followed-up for at least 6 months in the Ophthalmology Department at Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel, from 1995-2011. The study population was subdivided into two groups: 1. Patients whose difference in visual acuity (VA) between presentation and end of follow-up was considered "successful" (n = 54); 2. Patients whose difference in VA between presentation and end of follow-up was considered "non-successful"(n = 14). Comparing these two groups, we analyzed the following: time from trauma to admission, time from admission to operation, location of IOB, wound zone, best corrected VA at admission. RESULTS: A total of 97.1% of the study group were males and the mean age was 28.7 ± 15.3 years. Metallic IOB were found in 73.5% of cases. The IOFB penetrated at Zone 1 in 61.8% cases, and were located at the posterior segment in 65.2 % of cases. The two subgroups differed in their best corrected VA (by LogMAR) at presentation (p value = 0.02): the patients who were defined as "successful" (n = 54) had.a higher mean VA (1.2 ± 1.3) than those (n = 14) who were defined as "non-successful" (1.1 ± 0.6). The duration of time from trauma to admission was not found to be of statistical significance (p value = 0.361, and neither did the time from admission to operation (P value = 1). CONCLUSION: We present an innovative definition of VA changes during the follow-up period in patients with open globe injuries involving IOFB. Our study showed that patients who presented with worse VA had a better chance of a "successful" outcome.

The epidemiology of ruptured globes.

This retrospective study documented the demographics of 227 ruptured globes in 223 patients admitted to the Wills Eye Hospital over a two-year period from 1988 to 1990. The risk for a ruptured globe was greatest among 18-to-24-year-old men, during the noon to 8PM time frame, on Saturdays, and in the months of May, June, October, and November. The home was the most common injury setting, followed by the work place and assault. Twenty-four globes (11%) were enucleated within 11 weeks of hospital admission. These cases frequently were the result of assault, blunt-type injuries. A disproportionate number occurred in blacks.

An epidemiologic and pathologic study of globes enucleated following trauma.

This retrospective study examined demographic, clinical, and histopathologic factors in 24 traumatically ruptured globes that were enucleated at Wills Eye Hospital during a 2-year period. The majority of these injuries occurred in a violent assault setting with a blunt mechanism, during the evening and early morning hours, and in the fall and winter months. Most patients were black males, and 67% were substance abusers. Clinically, the initial visual acuity in 96% of the eyes was light perception or worse. Five of the eyes were enucleated primarily. Gross examination of the globes revealed that 92% of the wounds involved the sclera, 83% of the eyes had hyphema, and 71% of the lacerations were longer than 10 mm. Histopathologic examination demonstrated that the majority of eyes had fragmented or missing lenses, disrupted ciliary bodies, and detached choroids. Ninety-six percent of the retinas were detached. There was one case of acute endophthalmitis.