ABSTRACT

Objectives:

To investigate the frequency of angle recession, commotio retinae, and other ocular findings in patients with hyphema due to blunt ocular trauma.

Materials and Methods:

The medical records of 66 patients hospitalized between July 2010 and May 2012 with a diagnosis of traumatic hyphema were retrospectively reviewed. The age, gender, period between injury and the first examination, visual acuity at presentation, intraocular pressure (IOP), time of disappearance of hyphema, cause of blunt injury, additional ocular findings, medical and/or surgical treatment, follow-up time, and visual outcome were noted.

Results:

The mean age of the patients was 23.8±19.2 years. Males constituted the 83.3% of the whole group. Game-related injury (43.9%) and work-related injury (22.7%) were the most common causes of blunt trauma. The bead gun was the most common tool involved in injury. Angle recession was detected in 36 patients (54.5%). Development of secondary glaucoma was higher in the patients with angle recession (chi-square test, p<0.05). Commotio retinae was observed in 47% of patients. The mean visual acuity at presentation was 0.4±0.3, while at the last visit, it was 0.8±0.3. There was a statistically significant difference between baseline and final visual acuity (paired-samples t-test, p<0.001).

Conclusion:

Hyphema due to blunt ocular trauma is observed mostly in young men and children. The most common blunt ocular injuries are game-and work-related. Angle recession and commotio retinae are the main complications of blunt ocular trauma causing hyphema. In cases with blunt ocular trauma, the presence of hyphema makes it difficult to examine the anterior chamber angle and the fundus. It is important to perform these investigations at the earliest stage to manage the complications since commotio retinae and angle recession accompany many cases with hyphema.