PENETRATING EYE INJURIES IN YOUNG-CHILDREN

Background: Penetrating eye injuries remain an important cause of blin dness among children. Methods: Thirty consecutive children, nine years of age or younger, were treated for penetrating eye injuries, Twenty- two (73%) of those patients studied were male and 8 (17%) were female. The average age of the patients was 4.6 years. Sharp objects accounte d for the majority of injuries (83%). Twenty (66%) eyes required only primary repair and 10 (33%) eyes required secondary lensectomy and vit reous surgery, which was done within 10 days of the primary repair. Le ngth of follow-up ranged from 6 months to 48 months, and 5 patients we re lost to follow-up. Results: Visual acuity of 20/40 or better was ac hieved in 13 (72%) of the 18 patients requiring only primary repair. S tereopsis was present in 13 (87%) of these patients. Of those patients that underwent secondary lensectomy with anterior or pars plana vitre ctomy, 42% had visual acuity of 20/100 or better. None had stereopsis. Conclusion: Young children with penetrating eye injuries requiring on ly primary repair may achieve excellent visual recovery, whereas those with traumatic cataract necessitating lensectomy and vitreous surgery have a less favorable outcome because of more severe injury and subse quent amblyopia.