Cr. Pelletier et al., ASSESSMENT OF OCULAR TRAUMA ASSOCIATED WITH HEAD AND NECK INJURIES, The journal of trauma, injury, infection, and critical care, 44(2), 1998, pp. 350-354
We reviewed the real and potential ocular problems in all head and nec
k injuries at a tertiary care and regional trauma center from April of
1994 to March of 1995. Through a retrospective study, 127 charts were
reviewed, specifically looking at the mechanism of injury, types of i
njury, whether there was any ocular trauma noted in the chart, and whe
ther there was a consultation to the ophthalmology department. Forty-o
ne of these patients were seen by an ophthalmologist as the initial co
nsultant for ocular and orbital injuries recognized by the emergency s
taff. In the 86 remaining patients, signs of potential ocular injury w
ere recorded in the chart in 62 (72%) of these patients, yet an ophtha
lmology consultation was requested for only 23 of them (37%). This sur
vey reveals the lack of awareness in a regional trauma center of certa
in ocular and periocular signs that may be indicative of more serious
ocular injuries. It is the purpose of this article to highlight these
concerns to the various health professionals involved with head and ne
ck trauma patients in the hope that the patients will, in the end, ben
efit from a more thorough and complete assessment of the potential ocu
lar and periocular injuries.