- A workplace injury to the eye of a 27-year-old female.
- A bungee-type elastic cord struck her left eye.
- She was managed as a case of peri-ocular contusion and hyphema.
A 27-year-old female presented to the emergency department with trauma to her left eye. While she was at work pushing the trolley full of stacked boxes, an elastic cord broke off the struck her left eye.
In the ED, the ophthalmologist diagnosed left peri-ocular contusion and hyphema.
The patient was managed according to the diagnosis, and 10 days after the initial injury, only a little improvement was noticed.
During the subsequent visit, she was diagnosed with traumatic cataract and macular edema (Figure 1). Even after 6 weeks of trauma, the visual acuity didn’t improve much, and dilation of the pupil (mydriasis) persisted.
Fundus fluorescein angiography revealed choroidal rupture.
Surgery was performed to remove the traumatic cataract, followed by intraocular lens implantation. Six months after the initial injury, the visual acuity had improved, but the patient still complained of photosensitivity (photophobia). To address this complaint, a left pupilloplasty was performed.
After the procedure, significant improvement was seen. Photophobia diminished, and the visual acuity improved to 20/70.
Although the multiple procedures that were performed helped her improve the visual acuity along with a significant decrease in the photophobia, there was some permanent residual visual impairment due to which certain activities of life remained restricted, including driving and working for long hours under inappropriate lighting. To aid her vision, she was advised to use appropriate tools such as an adapted computer and tailored glasses.
References:
Ruel-Laliberté J, Morin L, Turcot A, Laughrea PA (2018) Ocular Bungee Cord Injury: Case-Report and Literature Review. Trauma Cases Rev 4:067. doi.org/10.23937/2469-5777/1510067
