The association between personality disorders/traits and violent eye trauma

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Psychiatry
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Open globe injuries can result from various causes, including violent acts.
• Understanding the psychological profile of patients with violent trauma may inform prevention and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of personality disorders in patients with open globe injuries sustained from violent trauma.
• To compare the prevalence of personality disorders between patients with violent and non-violent open globe injuries.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 100 patients, divided equally into violent open globe injury (case) and non-violent open globe injury (control) groups.
• Patients were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-II Personality Disorders (SCID-II) questionnaire.
• Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and visual outcomes were compared between groups.

Main Results:

• 86% of patients with violent open globe injuries exhibited personality disorders compared to 46% in the control group (P < 0.001).
• Cluster B personality disorders were most frequent in both groups, with antisocial personality disorder being more prevalent in the violent trauma group (P = 0.046).
• The violent trauma group had significantly worse ocular trauma scores and visual acuity (P = 0.028 and P = 0.044, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Personality disorders are significantly associated with open globe injuries resulting from violent behavior.
• Patients with violent eye trauma and associated personality disorders experience poorer visual outcomes.
• Routine psychiatric screening for personality disorders is recommended for individuals with violent eye trauma.