traumatic ophthalmic injuries ophthalmic injuries in mid-facial trauma: a decade long survey

introduction: the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of ophthalmic injuries associated with mid-facial fractures in patients admitted to shahid beheshti university hospital in babol, iran, from 2002 to 2012. materials and methods: a cross-sectional, retrospective study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of ophthalmic injuries associated with mid-facial fractures in patients admitted to a university hospital over a decade (2002-2012). relevant data, including history, operation notes, and consultation sheets, were collected using patients’ medical records. the types and frequencies of maxillofacial and concurrent ophthalmic injuries were derived and represented by figures and percentages. result: a total of 196 medical charts of patients with mid-facial trauma were reviewed. coexistent ophthalmic injuries were seen in 106 cases (93 males and 13 females). the mean age at the time of trauma was 31.01 ± 12.40. the most common cause of mid-facial trauma was motor-vehicle accidents (85.5%). patients as a whole had 169 fractures. a bilateral orbital fracture was the most common fracture detected in this study (37.4% of the patients). overall, 197 ophthalmic injuries were observed. peri-orbital ecchymosis (68.3%) and blurred vision (12%) were the most common types of minor and major injuries, respectively. conclusion: serious ophthalmic injuries, such as permanent visual loss, retinal hemorrhage, laceration of cornea, and globe rupture, were at the low ebb in this survey; however, they must be ruled out in all mid-facial fractures by meticulous ophthalmologic examination. because mid-facial fractures are potentially detrimental to orbital contents, an ophthalmologic consultation is mandatory and must be prioritized before embarking on performing maxillofacial surgical interventions.