Eye Gouging Research Articles

The Philosophy of Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a combat sport incorporating techniques from other combat sports (such as boxing and Muay Thai) and from traditional martial arts (karate, jiu-jitsu, etc.). It is a recent sport, dating only to the early 1980s, although there are historical antecedents in ancient Greece and elsewhere. As originally conceived MMA had relatively few constraints on the techniques that fighters could use. (Only biting, eye gouging, and groin strikes were forbidden.) The sport was sometimes marketed as “no holds barred” fighting, or a close approximation of street fighting. Gradually more rules were introduced, both for reasons of safety and to broaden the sport’s appeal. Fighters wear specialized gloves and other protective gear, and fights take place in a ring or enclosed area that is sometimes (but not always) an octagon shape. Professional MMA fighters have typically trained in a number of different fighting systems or martial arts. In...

Banning Electrical Shock Devices

The FDA wants to ban devices that apply electrical shocks to the skin to stop aggressive behavior and self-inflicted injuries such as head-banging, hand-biting, or eye gouging. Only on rare occasions does the agency seek to ban devices. “These devices are dangerous and a risk to public health—and we believe they should not be used,” William Maisel, MD, MPH, of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement (http://1.usa.gov/1VGHKus).

Beaten into action: A perspective on blood sports

Beaten into action: A perspective on blood sports

Preventing severe problem behavior in young children: The Behavior Education Program.

Doss and Reichle (1991) define challenging as behavior by a that results in self-injury or injury of others, causes damage to the physical environment, interferes with the acquisition of new skills, and/or socially isolates the learner (p. 215). Challenging behaviors may take many forms. Behaviors that are self injurious may include scratching, biting, head banging, punching, face slapping, pinching, eye gouging, ear pulling, hand mouthing, arm biting, and self choking (Carr, 1977; Horner & Day, 1991, Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982; Taylor & Carr, 1992). Aggressive behaviors may involve hitting, scratching, kicking, biting, pinching others, and knocking over objects (Carr & Durand, 1985a; Carr & Durand, 1985b; Horner & Day, 1991; Horner, Sprague, O'Brien, and Heathfield, 1990; Taylor & Carr, 1992). Behaviors that involve tantrums may include persistent crying, loud vocalizations, screaming, and whining (Carr & Durand, 1985a; Carr & Newsom, 1985; Durand & Carr, 1987; Taylor & Carr, 1992). Finally, the form of some challenging behaviors may entail more unique or stereotypical mannerisms such as body rocking, hand flapping, mouthing, and body posturing (Carr & Durand, 1985a; Carr & Newsom, 1985; Durand & Carr, 1987; Taylor & Carr, 1992). Oftentimes, the immediate influence of a challenging on a child and/or his environment (e.g., self-injury or injury of others, damage to the physical environment, interference with the acquisition of new skills, social isolation of the learner) is significant enough to warrant intervention. The importance of intervention is further accentuated by research examining the potential long term influence of challenging behaviors. Research has demonstrated that challenging behaviors create a barrier to community placement (Hill, Lakin, & Bruininks, 1984; Pagel & Whitling, 1978) and are a major cause of admission as well as readmission to state institutions (Nihara & Nihara, 1975; Pagel & Whitling, 1978). Furthermore, individuals who engage in challenging behaviors are at increased risk for rejection by teachers and peers (Walker, Ramsey & Gresham, 2003). Increased awareness and understanding of the potential immediate and long- term influence of challenging behaviors on a child and/or his environment has resulted in an interest in developing interventions to address challenging behaviors during the early childhood years. Reichle et al (1996) note that this interest has met with some resistance given that many individuals who serve preschool aged children who engage in challenging behaviors report a belief that these children will grow out of the challenging behaviors. However, this belief is not supported by analyses suggesting that challenging behaviors engaged in by preschoolers are not outgrown and many preschool aged children who engage in challenging behaviors will continue to engage in problem behaviors in elementary school (Campbell, 1998). For children who engage in the most severe problem behavior, researchers recommend developing individualized interventions based on functional assessment data (Crone & Horner, 2003; Sugai & Horner, 2002). Functional assessment is the process that is used to obtain information regarding the environmental antecedents (Richman, & Wacker, 2001) and consequences that motivate an individual's emission of challenging (e.g., Durand, 1990; O'Neill et al, 1997). This process involves (a) identifying and defining the challenging behavior, (b) identifying the events and circumstances that are regularly associated with the occurrence and nonoccurrence of the challenging behavior, and (c) determining the social function or the purpose of the challenging (Foster-Johnson, & Dunlap, 1993; Mcintosh, & Av-Gay, 2007; O'Neill et al, 1997). A number of methods have been described for collecting functional assessment information. …

Traumatic Late Flap Dehiscence and Enterobacter Keratitis Following LASIK

To report a case of traumatic flap dehiscence and Enterobacter keratitis 34 months after LASIK. A 36-year-old man sustained a flap dehiscence following traumatic right eye gouging by a seagull claw. He presented the following day with uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) in the affected eye of 3/200 and organic foreign body deposits underneath the flap. Systemic and topical antibiotics were administered and urgent surgical debridement and replacement of the LASIK flap was performed. An Enterobacter species was cultured from an intraoperative swab. After a prolonged postoperative course, including administration of topical ofloxacin, tobramycin, chloramphenicol, and dexamethasone, UCVA returned to 20/20. Good visual outcome after early debridement and appropriate antibiotics was achieved. Patients should be injury advised to seek prompt ophthalmic consultation after LASIK.

Reduction of eye gouging using a response interruption procedure

A profoundly retarded male with severe congenital impairment of vision and hearing was treated for self-inflicted eye gouging. Prior to intervention, continuous mechanical restraint was required to prevent the response, precluding participation in educational and play activities. The response topography, the nature of the client's deficits, and a preliminary behavioral and medical assessment suggested that the response functioned as a source of sensory self-stimulation. Presentation of toys plus differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) as alternate sources of stimulation during baseline had no impact on eye gouging. The introduction of a contingent response interruption procedure reduced eye gouging and decreased the amount of time spent in restraints. Treatment effects were replicated in a group setting, and in the natural environment. Parents and school personnel were trained to use the treatment, and eye gouging remained infrequent at a 9-month follow-up.

The differential effects of procedures to eliminate an injurious self-stimulatory behavior (digito-ocular sign) in blind retarded twins

This study investigated the effectiveness of four procedures in eliminating the eye-gouging behavior (digito-ocular sign) of blind retarded twin girls in an institutional setting. The first procedure, time out from auditory stimuli, reduced the twins eye gouging in about 4 days but was difficult to maintain. The second, response interruption, was not effective in significantly reducing the eye-gouging behavior. The third treatment, auditory time out plus differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), eliminated the self-injury in about 5 days, and a zero rate was maintained for 2 months. Finally, overcorrection with a DRO was employed approximately 1 year after the first experiment and resulted in the elimination of the eye gouging of both subjects within 2 weeks. In addition, reports from the hospital staff about 1 year later indicated the eye-gouging behavior was no longer a problem.

Treatment by overcorrection of self-injurious eye gouging in preschool blind children

Positive practice overcorrection was used to treat the self-injurious eye gouging behaviors of two preschool blind children, one of whom was severely retarded. An A-B treatment design was used, and the overcorrection was administered in the absence of other techniques. The treatment established rapid control over the eye gouging behaviors, bringing the rates of the behaviors to zero levels by the third day of treatment. These findings indicate short positive practice may be a viable treatment alternative for the self-injurious eye gouging of young blind retarded and nonretarded children.