A Clinical Study of the Evaluation and Assessment of the Etiology and Patterns of Ocular Injuries in Midfacial Trauma in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Aims The aim is to study the pattern of ocular injuries in midfacial trauma and to evaluate the overall incidence of ophthalmic injury of any severity following maxillofacial trauma. Methods and Materials The maxillofacial surgeon conducted routine facial examination of patients with midfacial fractures, which also included a detailed ophthalmologic examination of patients, at the time of initial presentation. These patients were then further evaluated by an ophthalmologist for thorough examination of the eye. Results The total number of recorded midface maxillofacial trauma cases was 181. Out of 181 patients, 161 had ocular injuries. Among 181 cases, 161 (88.95%) cases were due to road traffic accidents, which was the prime etiologic factor. Out of total 181 patients, 172 (95.03%) were males and 9 (4.97%) were females. The maximum number of cases were of zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures (44.75%) followed by nasal bone fractures (21.5%). Periorbital ecchymosis accounted for the maximum number of cases, amounting to 61.88%. Loss of vision or blindness was seen in eight (4.42%) patients. Conclusions The study stresses further on the importance of long-term and continuous data collection and record management of trauma patients, which may help health care providers with necessary information to develop treatment protocols and device measures for the prevention of complications.