The Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology system (BETT).
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the international eye injury scene and design a standardized terminology for mechanical eye injuries.


METHODS
Surveys of practicing ophthalmologists and an extensive review of the international ocular trauma literature. Development of the Birmingham Trauma Terminology (BETT) using a logic-based approach.


RESULTS
BETT always uses the entire globe as the tissue of reference. Its well-defined terms encompass all types of mechanical eye injury. A one-to-one relationship exists between terms and clinical conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
BETT provides an unambiguous, consistent, simple, and comprehensive system to describe any type of mechanical globe trauma. Endorsed by several societies and peer-reviewed journals as the standardized international language of ocular traumatology, BETT is expected to become the preferred terminology for categorizing eye injuries in daily clinical practice.
Kuhn
F
F
American Society of Ocular Trauma, Birmingham, USA. fkuhn@mindspring.com
Morris
R
R
Witherspoon
C D
CD
Mester
V
V
D005131:Eye Injuries; D006801:Humans; D009626:Terminology as Topic