title: Penetrating ocular injuries in young patients. Initial injuries and visual results.
abstract: Penetrating injuries are a leading cause of unilateral visual loss in young patients. We reviewed the records of 197 patients aged 18 years or younger who underwent primary repair of a penetrating ocular injury at the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute from January 1970 through December 1981. The injury was caused by sharp objects in 49% of cases, missiles in 35%, and blunt trauma in 14%. Of 159 patients with at least 6 months follow-up, 110 (69%) achieved final vision of 5/200 or better, and 77 patients (48%) achieved final visual acuity of 20/50 or better. The prognosis after a penetrating injury is strongly influenced by the nature of the injury and the extent of initial damage. Several factors were found to correlate with an unfavorable visual outcome, including: initial preoperative visual acuity of worse than 5/200, injuries due to blunt trauma, wounds involving the sclera, double penetrating injuries, dense vitreous hemorrhage, and wounds associated with an intraocular "BB" pellet.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000150:complications; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000150:complications*