A blunt object striking the eye with great force may result in minor or severe injury to the eye.
Different structures of the eye maybe involved.
Clinical features
| ANATOMINAL STRUCTURE INVOLVED |
CLINICAL FEATURES |
|---|---|
| Lids, cornea, and the conjunctiva |
Eyelid swelling and subcutaneous bleeding. The degree of swelling may be mild to severe. There may be corneal abrasions and conjunctival swelling and sub conjunctival haemorrhages |
| Anterior chamber, lens, vitreous or retina |
Decreased visual acuity is an indication that the injury involved either the anterior chamber, lens, vitreous, or retina. All the above will result in poor |
| Orbital bones | A blunt injury may cause orbital bone fractures. The commonest is a fracture of the ethmoid bone. The patient may present with swelling of the eye and proptosis if there is haemorrhage in the orbit or a sunken or retracted eyeball depending on the site of the fracture. The patient may also complain of double vision (Diplopia |
MANAGEMENT
- Assess the visual acuity, and if this is normal and there are no signs/symptoms of orbital bone
fracture give:- Gentamicin or chloramphenicol eye drops or tetracycline eye ointment
- Pain reliever – Paracetamol
- A cold compress maybe helpful in lid swelling
- If the visual acuity is poor, pad the eye, give a pan reliever and REFER URGENTLY THE PATIENT
TO A SPECIALIST as this is an indication of injury to deeper structures