Long-term follow-up of severely injured eyes following globe rupture

There is little information concerning the outcome of severely traumatized eyes, with little visual potential, which are not removed. We studied 50 eyes, which had suffered severe globe rupture, had visual acuities of no better than hand motion, and were not removed within 2 weeks of injury. Seventeen (34%) of the 50 eyes were later removed. Of the 17, nine had become painful. The other 33 eyes, which were not removed, remained comfortable over a mean follow-up of 66 months (12-161 months). Thirty (70%) of 43 eyes, which had follow-up of at least two months, became phthisical. There were no cases of sympathetic ophthalmia. These results suggest that the majority of severely-injured eyes become phthisical, but do not require removal for pain.