English

Abstract

BACKGROUND One of the major causes of preventable blindness is ocular trauma, which also results in high socioeconomic burden. This study was done to understand the clinical profile of orbital and ocular trauma at a tertiary care centre in Kerala. METHODS A descriptive study was conducted among patients attending the casualty of a tertiary care centre in Kerala for a period of three months from August 2017 to October 2017. A semi structured proforma was filled by the ophthalmologist attending the patients. This data was analysed using appropriate software. The study included a total of 256 patients with orbital and ocular trauma. After taking a detailed history, visual acuity testing and ocular examination were conducted. Computed tomography (CT) scan of orbit was done whenever indicated. RESULTS Out of 256 patients, 60.9 % were in the age group of 21 – 60 years. Males were affected about 4 times more than the females. 40 % of trauma occurred in the afternoon between 12 and 6 pm, and 29 % happened from 6 pm to 12 midnight. Majority of trauma (47.7 %) happened at home followed by those due to road traffic accidents. Conjunctiva and cornea were the most frequently involved ocular structures. Out of 256 patients, 126 (49.2 %) had conjunctival injury while 73 (28.5 %) had corneal injury. Corneal foreign bodies were seen in 32 patients (12.5 %). Only two patients (0.8 %) had open globe injury, whereas others had closed globe injury. Eye lids were injured in 45 patients (17.6 %) and 51 patients (19.9 %) had injury in the periorbital area. Orbital bone injuries were detected in 16 patients (6.3 %) and was confirmed using CT scan. CONCLUSIONS Ocular trauma is an important cause of preventable blindness and ocular morbidity. It causes high economic burden to the individual as well as to the society. Most of the injuries were closed globe injuries and affected the younger population. KEY WORDS Ocular & Orbital Trauma, Closed Globe Injury, Open Globe Injury