Clinical features, management and visual outcomes on patients with traumatic hyphema in a reference ophthalmological clinic in Colombia

Abstract

Aim. To analyze clinical features, treatment, and results of patients with non-penetrating traumatic hyphema in an ophthalmological center in Colombia. Methods. A retrospective cohort study in which medical records of patients with traumatic hyphema were analyzed between 2013 and 2018. Results. 38 eyes of 37 patients (34 men, 3 women) were included. Average age was 30.6 ± 16.6 years. Sports-related (42.1%) and occupational accidents (34.2%) were the main causes. 67.5% of the eyes had grade I hyphema. 95% received topical corticosteroids, 92.1% topical mydriatics and 52.63% ocular hypotensive eyedrops. Two eyes with hyphema grade I did not receive steroids and resolved uneventfully. None of the eyes rebleeded, even without antifibrinolytics. One patient with grade IV hyphema required surgery. Mean hyphema's clearance time was 8.4 ± 3.2 days. The last mean corrected distance visual acuity was LogMAR 0.25. There were no complications directly related to the hyphema. Conclusions. Working related activities were the second cause of traumatic hyphema in our cohort, which might be attributable to poor awareness of the importance or ocular protection, or limited access to recommended protective devices. Outpatient management enabled adequate outcomes. Corticosteroids and mydriatics were the treatment cornerstone, though seemed not to be imperative when hyphema was grade I. We were not able to support the contributive role from antifibrinolytics, because none of our patients rebleeded in spite of the absence of them. Abbreviations: IOP = intraocular pressure, AC = anterior chamber, CDVA = corrected distance visual acuity.