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(See also Retinal Disorders: Retinal Detachment.)
Common causes of eye injury include domestic accidents (eg, during hammering or exposure to household chemicals or cleaners), assault, car battery explosions, sporting injuries (including air- or paint pellet-gun injuries), and motor vehicle crashes (including air-bag injuries). Injury may be to the eyeball (globe), surrounding soft tissues (including muscles, nerves, and tendons), or bones of the orbit.
Detailed examination of the anterior segment, lens, and anterior vitreous is best done with a slit lamp. Detailed examination of the posterior vitreous and the retina is best done with indirect ophthalmoscopy, usually by an ophthalmologist. Indications include clinical suspicion of traumatic cataracts, vitreous abnormalities (eg, hemorrhage, foreign body), and retinal abnormalities; clinical suspicion may be based on injury mechanism, absence of the red reflex, or retinal abnormalities visible with direct ophthalmoscopy. About 15 to 30 min before this examination, the pupil is usually dilated with 1 drop of cyclopentolate 1% and 1 drop of phenylephrine 2.5%. If an intraocular or orbital foreign body or an orbital fracture is suspected, CT is done.
Use of eye guards, goggles, or special eyeglasses, such as those constructed of polycarbonate lenses in a wrap-around polyamide frame, is a simple precaution that greatly reduces the risk of injury.
When eye drops are prescribed, each dose includes only one drop.
Last full review/revision March 2007 by Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD
Content last modified February 2010
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