Clinical characteristics and outcomes of open globe injuries in Japan

To describe the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of open globe injuries (OGIs) in Japan over 10 years, and examine preoperative factors influencing the visual prognosis after surgery.

Retrospective, observational, multicenter case-series study.

Patients' data were entered into a computerized database for review and statistical analyses. The following parameters were assessed; age, gender, initial and final visual acuity, duration between onset and surgery, presence of lens in the eye, characteristics of injury, presence of ocular complications, and number of surgeries.

The records of 374 eyes with OGI were enrolled. The average age of the patients was 56.8 ± 22.1 years, and the majority of patients were men (73.5%). Compared to the overall cohort, work-related OGI was the most common, associated with significantly better final visual acuity, whereas patients with fall-down OGI showed significantly worse final visual acuity (P < 0.05). Among the types of injury, both the initial and final visual acuity were significantly worse in the rupture group than in the laceration group. Multiple liner regression analyses revealed that the final visual acuity was significantly associated with initial visual acuity, type of injury (rupture), retinal detachment, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

To predict the visual outcome in patients with OGI, ophthalmologists need to pay attention not only to the initial visual acuity but also to initial ocular conditions, such as the presence of ocular complications.