Hoffman, JJ;
Casswell, EJ;
Shortt, AJ;
(2020)
Assault-related severe ocular chemical injury at a London ophthalmic referral hospital: a 3-year retrospective observational study.
BMJ Open
, 10
, Article e038109. 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038109.
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Abstract
Objectives: To understand the incidence, causes, management and outcomes of intentional (assault) and unintentional severe ocular chemical injuries (SOCI) at an urban tertiary referral centre in the UK. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting: A London tertiary referral ophthalmic centre, Moorfields Eye Hospital. Participants: All cases of SOCI presenting between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2014 were identified. The definition of SOCI was grade 3 or 4 on the Hughes-Roper-Hall classification system. We identified 25 cases (6 in 2011–2012, 8 in 2012–2013, 11 in 2013–2014). Median age was 31.1 years. 23 cases (92%) were male. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The primary outcome was the proportion of cases of SOCI caused by assault, per year. Secondary outcome measures included the number of cases of SOCI, injury characteristics and mechanism, initial and long-term management, visual outcome and the need for surgical intervention. Results: Between 2011 and 2012, 3/6 cases were due to assault (50%); between 2012 and 2013, 7/8 were due to assault (87.5%); and between 2013 and 2014, 6/11 were due to assault (54.4%). Assault was responsible for 16/25 (64%) cases overall, while 8/25 (32%) cases were work related. The causative agent was known to be alkali in 16/25 (64%), while 10/25 (40%) did not complete the follow-up. The mean number of clock hours of limbal ischaemia was 5.24 (SD 2.97). 17/25 (68%) were Hughes-Roper-Hall grade 3. Surgical intervention occurred in 1/25. The final best-corrected visual acuity was 6/12 or worse in 11/25 (44%) and was counting fingers or worse in 4/25 (16%). Conclusions: Previous studies found that SOCI had a low incidence and that work-related injuries were the most common cause. Our study demonstrates an increasing incidence of SOCI, which may be accounted for by a rise in assault using corrosive substances. A high number of patients did not attend regularly for follow-up and visual outcomes from these injuries are poor.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Assault-related severe ocular chemical injury at a London ophthalmic referral hospital: a 3-year retrospective observational study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038109 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038109 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Keywords: | ophthalmology, corneal and external diseases, public health, EYE, BURNS, CLASSIFICATION |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10124176 |
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