Ophthalmic consequences of mid-facial trauma

Fractures of the mid-face are commonly accompanied by injury to the visual system. Three hundred and sixty three patients who had sustained mid-facial fractures were assessed prospectively for evidence of such injury. The data have been used to devise a scoring system for the maxillofacial surgeon in order to help identify those patients at risk of eye injury. The scoring system has been evaluated on a further cohort of 100 patients with a similar spectrum of injury and the sensitivity and specificity of the system have been determined. The results of these studies have been reported in the maxillofacial literature. This paper reviews the data and results obtained. In summary, impaired visual acuity with a comminuted or out blow fracture, a motility abnormality, or facial fracture combined with head injury, sufficient to cause both retrograde and post-traumatic amnesia, emerged as major risk factors which are indicative of an adverse ophthalmic outcome deemed to warrant referral. The scoring system which was developed from this data was found to have a sensitivity of 94.4% and a specificity of 89% for the detection of patients thought to merit ophthalmic assessment. Failure to assess central visual function as objectively as practicable in patients who have sustained mid-facial fractures may lead to potentially treatable ophthalmic pathology not being identified.