Clinical characteristics and the result of surgery for penetrating eye injury after mine explosion

ABSTRACT

Background: Penetrating eye injury caused by mine explosion is a severe ophthalmologic injury. It is rare in Viet Nam and there were no studies on this type of injury. Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and evaluate the outcomes of surgery for penetrating eye injury caused by mine explosions. Subjects and method: The prospective analysis was conducted on 34 patients (36 eyes) with penetrating eye injury presented at the Trauma Department of Viet Nam National Institute of Ophthalmology. They were followed up for two years. Results: Out of the \r\n', u'34 patients, 31 were men (91.2%). Types of injury: corneal tear 93.8%, lens damage: 100%, vitreous damage: 56.3%, retinal detachment 25%, intraocular foreign body 72.2%. Initial visual acuity less than 0.02 was 96.9%. The final visual acuity was improved to better than 0.02 in 58.3% of patients. The intraocular pressures were normalized in 72.2% of patients after treatment. Conclusion: Penetrating eye injury caused by exploding mines has very severe clinical features. Despite of improvements in surgical techniques and instruments, the final visual acuity was still poor. The visual outcomes primarily depended on initial damages to the eye.\r\n', u'