Non-traumatic open globe injuries: presenting characteristics and visual outcomes

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Trauma Surgery
• Public Health

Background:

• Non-traumatic open globe injuries represent a distinct clinical entity.
• Understanding their characteristics is crucial for effective management and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate the clinical features and visual results of non-traumatic open globe injuries.
• To compare outcomes with those of traumatic open globe injuries.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of non-traumatic open globe patients at a Level 1 trauma center.
• Data collected included demographics, injury cause, clinical presentation, visual acuity (VA), and enucleation rates.

Main Results:

• Thirty eyes were analyzed, predominantly zone 1 injuries, with perforated corneal ulcers being the most common cause (83%).
• Infection was a major factor (80%), presenting with conjunctival injection and corneal opacification.
• Final visual acuity was poor, with 88% worse than 6/60 (20/200), 35% resulting in no light perception (NLP), and 27% requiring enucleation.

Conclusions:

• Non-traumatic open globe injuries, frequently associated with infectious ulcers, exhibit poorer visual prognoses.
• These injuries demonstrate significantly higher enucleation rates and worse final visual acuity compared to traumatic open globe injuries.