Evaluation of Ophthalmic Surgical Injuries Presenting to An Ophthalmology Emergency Department

Aim: To determine the incidence and clinical characteristics of ophthalmic emergency cases who required ophthalmic surgical intervention.
Materials and Methods: Patients who presented to our Ophthalmology Department with surgical ocular traumatic injuries from 2017 to 2018, were retrospectively examined. Demographic characteristics, details of the injury, diagnoses, examinations and surgical procedures were obtained. The time period between occurrence of eye injury and presentation to hospital and time to surgery were also recorded.
Results: Thirty-eight eyes of 35 patients, 74% males and 26% females (mean age: 31±19) were included. Three cases were bilateral. The main causes of ocular surgical injuries were traffic accidents in 15 eyes (39%), work accidents in 11 eyes (29%), assault in 5 eyes (13%) and other causes in 7 eyes (18%). The most frequent type of lesion was penetrating injury (58%). Most of the operations (33 eyes, 87%) were performed on the first day of the injury. The others were operated between 1-10 days. Single operation was performed in 28 eyes (74%), while additional surgical procedure was necessary in 10 eyes (26%). Twenty patients (57%) were hospitalized to the Ophthalmology service. There was an improvement in visual acuity in 19 eyes (50%), no change in 12 eyes (32%), and worsening in 7(18%) eyes.
Conclusion: Surgery-requiring ophthalmologic injuries involve mainly male at younger ages and traffic accidents are the most important cause of trauma. In 50% of these patients, an increase in visual acuity was observed after surgery so early and correct surgery can prevent visual impairment and blindness.