OCULAR INJURIES BATTERED WOMEN

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the occurrence of b attered women seen by ophthalmologists in an eye emergency department, and to make ophthalmologists aware that these women are not a rarity but often go unrecognized. Methods: This retrospective study reviews a large urban eye center's emergency room charts over a 6-month time pe riod for documentation of injuries to women as a result of domestic vi olence. Seventy-nine charts were selected as part of this study. In 18 of these charts, battered women definitely were identified, and in 61 charts abuse was suspected but the abuser was not specifically identi fied. Results: The patients ranged in age from 15 to 90 years. The abu ser was most commonly a boyfriend using a fist as the means of inflict ing the injury. Injuries ranged from lacerations and contusions to mor e serious injuries, including three hyphemas and three ruptured globes . Six patients were hospitalized because of their injuries. Substance abuse was documented in 5 of 79 patients. Conclusions: Many of these f emale victims of intentional violence in their homes go unrecognized o r uncharted by physicians. Ophthalmologists see many of these women be cause of the high frequency of head and neck injuries in these cases, and should therefore maintain a high index of suspicion and be prepare d to act appropriately with recognition and documentation of the injur y and provision of social service referrals.