[Pathogenic mechanism of contusio bulbi]

We examined experimentally the pathomechanism of ocular contusion and its damaging influence on the retina. Therefore, various jabbing instruments were used with which a definite trauma can be obtained. The physical parameters, the localization of the trauma and their importance for the injury and the intraocular pressure were analyzed. We found that the amount of energy has no special influence on the kind of ocular contusion, but that it does influence the dynamics of an injury. In direct trauma, the location where the eye is struck, e.g. the cornea or sclera, plays a decisive role in retinal damage. By means of various measurements of intraocular pressure we were able to prove that in non perforating trauma, the anterior segment, has a buffer function and protects the retina in case of corneal trauma from damage caused by contusion.