Potential impact of seatbelt use on the spectrum of ocular injuries and visual acuity outcomes after motor vehicle accidents with airbag deployment.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association between seatbelt use and (1) the spectrum of ocular injuries and (2) visual acuity outcomes after motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) with airbag deployment.


METHODS
Single-center retrospective observational case series.


METHODS
Forty-seven patients involved in MVAs with airbag deployment.


METHODS
Medical record review of all patients evaluated after an MVA with airbag deployment between January, 1997, and August, 2005, at a single level 1 trauma center.


METHODS
Type of ocular injury and visual acuity at 3 months after an MVA.


RESULTS
Seventy-one percent of patients who did not wear seatbelts experienced type III ocular injuries compared with 31% who wore seatbelts (P<0.0002). Posterior segment injuries occurred only in patients who did not wear seatbelts. At the 3-month follow-up, 76% of patients who did not wear seatbelts achieved a visual acuity of 20/40 or better compared with 96% of patients who wore seatbelts (P>0.10); a visual acuity worse than 20/200 was measured in 14% and 0% of patients in the 2 groups, respectively (P<0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
In the current study, the use of seatbelts was associated with less severe ocular injuries and better visual outcomes.
Rao
Sunil K
SK
Division of Ophthalmology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Greenberg
Paul B
PB
Filippopoulos
Theodoros
T
Scott
Ingrid U
IU
Katsoulakis
Nickolas P
NP
Enzer
Yoash R
YR
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017278:Air Bags; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012237:Rhode Island / Q000453:epidemiology; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*