Occupational eye injury: the neglected role of eye protection

Objective: To evaluate the role of eye protection in patients with an occupational eye injury

Setting: Ophthalmology Department, King Hamad University Hospital, Bahrain

Design: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Method: All patients who presented with occupation-related eye injury from 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016 were included in the study. A survey was filled regarding occupation, mechanism of injury, causative hazard and eye protective precaution used. Personal characteristics, examination, the degree of injury, diagnosis, management and complications were recorded. Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology System was used in injury classification

Result: Forty-two injured eyes were seen from 1 January 2016 to 31 March 2016. Forty [95.2%] were not using safety eyewear. Twenty-two [52.4%] had superficial foreign body, 17 [40.5%] had lamellar laceration, 2 [4.8%] had contusion and 1 [2.4%] had penetrating injury. Fifteen [35.7%] injuries were due to flying particles while grinding, followed by 5 [11.9%] due to hammering. Corneal foreign body was the most common injury, 19 [45.2%]. Most frequently injured were construction workers, 14 [33.3%] followed by welders, 10 [23.8%]

Conclusion: Occupational eye injuries could lead to major complications ranging from mild abrasions to blindness. In our study, most of the injuries were due to ignorance and failure to use safety eyewear. It is highly recommended that all employers make it mandatory for all workers to wear appropriate protective eyewear as it decreases the incidence and severity of eye injuries

Spiramycin: a safe and effective option for treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis

Ocular Toxoplasmosis is a non-curable infectious disease caused by Toxoplasma Gondii and is one of the leading causes of severe visual impairment due to the involvement of posterior segment of the eye. Involvement of posterior pole causes severe visual impairment in many patients

We report a case of ocular Toxoplasmosis in a 12-year-old female child. The child was clinically diagnosed as having ocular Toxoplasmosis involving the whole posterior pole of the left eye and few parafoveal lesions in the right eye. Follow-up visit revealed new chorioretinitis lesions in the left eye. The patient was treated with oral Spiramycin 1500 mg/day in two divided doses with prednisolone tablet [Img/kg body weight] for a period of 6 weeks. The chorioretinitis lesions regressed in 3 weeks and follow-up one year after cessation of treatment revealed no recurrence. Spiramycin proved to be effective, safe, economic and easy to administer as twice daily oral dose

Hereditary progressive cone dystrophy

Cone dystrophy is a rare hereditary eye disease involving retinal cone photoreceptors, which affects the central vision and color vision. Most patients present with defective color vision and significant photophobia. We present two rare cases of progressive cone dystrophy who presented to the Ophthalmology Clinic and were treated conservatively

Vogt-koyanagi-harada syndrome

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada [VKH] syndrome is a rare autoimmune multisystemic disease involving the melanocyte-containing organs; it is a diagnosis of exclusion. The disease is progressive and has undesired complications. We report the first case of VKH syndrome in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The report aims to describe this rare syndrome with more emphasis on the ocular manifestations and management

Re-lifting the LASIK flap 16 years after primary surgery

A forty-six-year-old Bahraini male patient presented with diminished vision in both eyes; he had a history of standard LASIK surgery 16 years ago to treat myopia and astigmatism. The pre-operative refraction was -5.50 D sphere, -2.00 D cylinder × 180° in the right eye and -5.00 D sphere, -2.00 D cylinder × 160° in the left eye. The original LASIK flap was re-lifted successfully after 16 years of primary LASIK surgery. Therefore, this will save the cornea from further incision. Enhancement laser treatment was performed for residual myopia and astigmatism after lifting a 16-year-old LASIK flap at King Hamad University Hospital, Bahrain

Vitelliform macular dystrophy

A twenty-one-year-old generally healthy gentleman presented to the ophthalmology clinic with progressive reduction of vision over 3 years and family history of Best's Disease. Best's disease is a rare autosomal dominant congenital vitelliform macular dystrophy. Patients usually present with deterioration of central vision in the second decade of life and gradually worsening over the years. The disease is untreatable and low visual aids are used. Genetic and clinical counseling is accessible to affected individuals along with their asymptomatic relatives