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Visual acuity recovery following traumatic hyphema in a pediatric population
Erin A Boese1, Daniel J Karr2, Michael F Chiang3
1Oregon Health & Science University, Casey Eye Institute, Portland; University of Michigan, Kellogg Eye Center, Ann Arbor.
Insights
Children with traumatic hyphema show good visual recovery potential. Most patients achieved significant vision improvement within 28 days, with continued recovery possible beyond the first month.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Trauma Care
Background:
- Traumatic hyphema, a common ocular injury in children resulting from blunt force trauma, necessitates understanding visual recovery timelines.
- Assessing visual outcomes is crucial for managing pediatric eye injuries and guiding treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rate and extent of visual recovery in children experiencing hyphema due to traumatic blunt force injury.
- To analyze visual acuity outcomes at various time points following the initial injury.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for pediatric patients diagnosed with hyphema between July 2008 and July 2014.
- Primary outcome measures included presenting and follow-up visual acuities, with data analyzed for trends in recovery.
Main Results:
- Fifty-six eyes of 55 children (mean age 10.3 years) with traumatic hyphema were analyzed; 7.1% experienced rebleeding.
- Within 28 days, 59% achieved 20/20 vision and 82% reached 20/30 vision.
- At final follow-up, 98% of patients had a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/30 or better.
Conclusions:
- Uncomplicated traumatic hyphema in children generally has a good prognosis for visual recovery.
- Significant visual improvement is typically observed within the first 28 days post-injury, with potential for further recovery in some cases beyond this period.
Purpose:
To determine the rate of visual recovery following hyphema caused by traumatic blunt force injury in children.
Methods:
The medical records of patients evaluated between July 2008 and July 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. Primary outcome measures included presenting and follow-up visual acuities.
Results:
At total of 56 eyes of 55 children (<18 years of age) were diagnosed with hyphema following blunt force nonpenetrating injury. The average patient age was 10.3 ± 3.2 years. The majority of subjects were male (78%). Presenting visual acuities ranged from logMAR 0.0 (Snellen equivalent, 20/20) to light perception. Rebleeding occurred in 4 subjects (7.1%). Visual acuity demonstrated improvement over the first 28 days following injury, with 59% achieving visual acuity of logMAR 0.0 (Snellen equivalent, 20/20) and 82% recovering vision to logMAR 0.2 (Snellen equivalent 20/30) by day 28. All but 1 patient (43 of 44 eyes, 98%) had a best-corrected visual acuity of better than or equal to logMAR 0.2 at their last recorded follow-up.
Conclusions:
There is good potential for visual recovery following uncomplicated traumatic hyphema in children. In our patient cohort, the majority of patients had significant improvement in visual acuity within the first 28 days; in some children visual acuity continued to improve beyond the first month.
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