Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Corneal Epithelial Abrasion with Ocular Burr As a Model for Cornea Wound Healing
Published on: July 10, 2018
Are signs and symptoms associated with persistent corneal abrasions in children?
K K Rittichier1, M G Roback, K E Bassett
1Primary Children's Medical Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City , USA.
Insights
Pediatric corneal abrasions may persist even without symptoms. Follow-up examinations are crucial for identifying persistent corneal abrasions and ensuring normal visual acuity in children.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Corneal Disease
Background:
- Corneal abrasions are frequent pediatric eye injuries.
- Standard treatment involves antibiotic drops/ointment, eye patching, and 24-hour follow-up with fluorescein examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between clinical signs/symptoms and persistent corneal abrasions or abnormal visual acuity in children.
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of specific signs and symptoms in identifying persistent corneal abrasions.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case series conducted at a children's hospital.
- Included children aged 4+ years diagnosed with corneal abrasion between May 1992 and December 1996 with follow-up data.
- Analyzed sensitivities, specificities, and predictive values of pain, photophobia, and redness for persistent abrasions.
Main Results:
- Seventy-seven children (median age 7 years) were analyzed.
- Pain and photophobia showed high specificity but variable sensitivity for persistent abrasions.
- Redness alone was present in 15 of 26 persistent abrasions; 6 were asymptomatic, and 5 had abnormal visual acuity.
Conclusions:
- Clinical signs and symptoms are unreliable indicators of persistent corneal abrasions in children.
- Asymptomatic children can have persistent corneal abrasions, highlighting the need for selective follow-up strategies.
- Abnormal visual acuity may occur even in asymptomatic cases, emphasizing thorough examination.
Background:
Corneal abrasions are common eye injuries in children. Most are treated with antibiotic drops or ointment, patching of the affected eye, and follow-up within 24 hours to confirm resolution by fluorescein examination.
Objective:
To determine if signs and symptoms at follow-up were associated with the presence of a persistent corneal abrasion or abnormal visual acuity.
Design:
Retrospective case series.
Setting:
A children's hospital.
Patients:
Children who were aged 4 years or older with the diagnosis of corneal abrasion between May 1992 and December 1996 and who had a follow-up examination.
Results:
Seventy-seven patients (57% male) were enrolled (median age, 7 years). The respective sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values of selective signs and symptoms for persistent abrasions were as follows: for pain, 53%, 93%, 80%, and 80%; for photophobia, 57%, 100%, 100%, and 80%; for redness, 100%, 46%, 44%, and 100%; for pain and redness, 40%, 96%, 80%, and 80%; and for at least 1 sign or symptom, 95%, 48%, 47%, and 95%. Twenty-six patients had persistent corneal abrasions at follow-up. Six of these 26 patients were symptom free at follow-up, and 15 patients had only redness as a persistent sign. Five patients had abnormal visual acuity, one of whom was asymptomatic. All 3 patients with complications were symptomatic.
Conclusions:
Signs and symptoms are inconsistently associated with persistent corneal abrasions. Asymptomatic patients may have persistent corneal abrasions, suggesting the need for selective follow-ups.
