Abstract

SANTACRUZ PORTILLO, IG. Child ocular trauma affecting visual acuity in patients of the Hospital de Clínicas: frequency, management and final visual result. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2009, vol.7, n.1, pp.27-32. ISSN 1812-9528.

The objective of this work was to determine the frequency of child ocular trauma affecting visual acuity (VA), management of urgencies and relation between the VA at the time of the consultation and after one month of evolution. This was an observational descriptive study of 318 patients, girls and boys under 16 years who attended the Ophthalmology Service of the Hospital de Clínicas from September, 2006 to July, 2007. The following data of the patients that consulted for eye trauma affecting their visual acuity were analyzed: demographic data, causative agent of the trauma, circumstances, place of accident, time of evolution, VA, trauma type, affected zone and urgency treatment. A total of 318 children consulted the urgency department of the service and 101 (31.7%) of them consulted for eye trauma. Of these, 55 (54.5%) showed a decrease of the visual acuity. The trauma was closed in 85.5% patients and open in 14.5%. The main causative agents of trauma were tree branches, sticks, stones, explosives, wires and iron rods. After one month of consultation, VA improved in 83.5% of the cases, remains equal in 14.5% and worsened in 2%. There was a direct relation between the initial VA and the VA at one month (p = 0.01) and an inverse relation between time of evolution and the VA at one month (p = 0.013). The child eye traumatism is a frequent reason of consultation in the ophthalmic urgency services. The initial VA and the time of evolution are prognosis factors of the final VA of these patients.

Keywords : Eye trauma; children; visual acuity; evolution.

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