Evaluating eye injury risk of Airsoft pellet guns by parametric risk functions

Over 2.4 million eye injuries occur each year in the United States as a result of trauma. New toy guns, commonly referred to as Airsoft guns are increasingly becoming responsible for ocular injuries in children. The purpose of this study was to determine the ocular injury risk of these Airsoft guns by experimental testing and the use of previously generated ocular injury risk functions. A total of 26 Airsoft pellet impact tests were performed on both post-mortem human and porcine eyes in a laboratory environment. Projectile parameters of diameter, mass, and velocity were used to calculate the injury potential of these impacts for five different ocular injuries: corneal abrasion, lens dislocation, hyphema, retinal damage, and globe rupture. Globe rupture was not observed in any of the experimental tests, which is consistent with that reported in the literature. The two most likely ocular injuries caused by these Airsoft guns are corneal abrasion and hyphema, at nearly a 100% and a greater than 75% risk of injury, respectively. This is consistent with the types of injuries reported in the literature, with corneal abrasion and hyphema being the most frequently occurring ocular injuries due to Airsoft guns. More experimental data on retinal injuries is necessary to make an accurate assessment of the risk of retinal damage from blunt impacts. In summary, the potential for ocular injury from Airsoft guns is great and protective equipment such as protective eyewear should be considered mandatory during operation.