Ocular complications of thermal injury: a 3-year retrospective

Diagnosis and treatment of thermal ocular injuries are often delayed because facial burns are usually associated with life-threatening injuries requiring immediate intervention. The purpose of the present study is to review the diagnosis and management of ocular complications associated with thermal burns in a tertiary care burn unit.

In this retrospective study, the charts of patients admitted to the Loyola University Medical Center Burn Unit between January 1993 and January 1996 were reviewed.

Of the 1,461 patients who were admitted to the burn unit during that period, 155 (10.6%) required ophthalmic consultation. Sixty-one patients (4.2%) had ocular injury, the most common type being periorbital burn and edema followed by corneal involvement. Thirty-one of the 61 patients (51%) received consultation on the day of admission. Six of the 61 patients (10%) required surgical intervention. There was no correlation between number of days to consultation and need for surgical intervention. Patients requiring surgery were more likely to have suffered third-degree burns.

Because it is difficult to predict which patients suffering from thermal burns involving the eyes will require surgical intervention, ophthalmic consultation should be sought early.