Ocular Injuries Secondary to Motor Vehicle Accidents

The forgotten protection factor: A nationwide score-based assessment of motorcycle eye protection legislation

INTRODUCTION

Motorcycle accidents cause millions of deaths and injuries globally. It is estimated that billions of dollars would be saved in the United States alone if safety equipment, such as helmets and eye protection, was ubiquitously worn. Legislation concerning eye protection specifically is understudied and poorly characterized.

METHOD

We reviewed all motorcycle-related safety equipment laws in all 50 states of the United States for information regarding eye protection. We graded the rigor of each statute using our six-category Eye Safety Metric and performed a comparative analysis of statutes across all jurisdictions.

RESULTS

Fourteen states did not have any statutes regarding eye protection. Among states that did, 23 states had weak statutes (0-2 points), 20 states had moderately stringent statutes (3-4 points), and 7 states had strong statutes (5-6 points). States in western United States tended to have less strict eye protection laws. Twenty-six states had eye protection exemptions for windshields, which are a poor form of eye protection. Six states that had universal helmet laws had no laws requiring eye protection.

CONCLUSIONS

We characterized eye protection legislation across the country and found great diversity in the stringency of laws across all jurisdictions. Despite only two states lacking helmet laws, we found that 14 states lacked eye protection laws. These findings from our Eye Safety Metric can be used as a springboard for future research, which can be used to determine the need for and significance of eye safety legislation for motorcyclists and to inform legislative decision-making.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

With this research, we hope to further the understanding of legislation regarding eye protection for motorcyclists and help policymakers identify states that need improved eye safety standards.

A case report of reconstruction of ocular and complete upper eyelid avulsion with severe facial soft tissue injuries using anterolateral thigh free flap

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Ocular injury is second mostly caused by motor vehicle accident (MVA) and often leads to severe ocular injury even to visual loss and various aesthetic problems. The outcome is determined by the magnitude of the initial damage and treatment availability. Treating ocular and facial injury due to MVA is challenging given the scope of the damage and may result in various outcomes.

CASE PRESENTATION

This case presented a 22-years old woman with a history of car accident assessed with total upper eyelid avulsion with corneal perforation and involvement of multiple facial fractures on the left side. The visual function is irreparable due to the extensive corneal defect from exposure and secondary infection, and possible optic nerve damage.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

This case presented a complete upper eyelid avulsion with severe facial tissue injury. Therefore, the reconstructive procedure main objectives are to maintain appropriate prosthetic position and to improve cosmetic function. This case used anterolateral thigh free flap as the reconstructive surgery method because it is convenient for large defects and the donor scar is not visible. After completing the surgery and several follow-up procedures, the patient recovered without any significant complications.

CONCLUSION

Despite visual loss due to the extent damage of the eye, it is important to restore the facial damages. Visual function is as crucial as cosmetic function in determining the patient's quality of life.

Motor vehicle accident eye injuries in northern Israel

Purpose: To investigate the occurrence and types of motor vehicle accident eye trauma in north Israel. Methods: The records between the years 2007–2011 of the Ophthalmology Emergency Room of one medical center were searched. Eye injuries due to motor vehicle accidents were classified according to type, severity of injury and demographic data of patients. Results: Nearly five percents of ER presentations were due to motor vehicle accidents. Most motor vehicle accident-related eye injuries were mild. Conclusion: Efforts should be taken to prevention and to minimize the severity of motor vehicle accident-related eye injuries.

Simultaneous injuries to both eyes in traffic accidents

BACKGROUND

In traffic accidents, eye injuries occur as isolated or with polytrauma. They may involve just one eye, but simultaneous injuries to both eyes do happen occasionally. The aim of our paper was to reveal the risk factors, in an effort to reduce the number of such accidents and to prevent bilateral ocular damage.

METHODS

All patients hospitalized at the Clinic of Eye Diseases, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, due to traffic accidents with bilateral eye injuries in a period of 9 years from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2008 were analyzed.

RESULTS

In this 9-year period, a total of 36 patients were hospitalized and treated for bilateral ocular injury (72 eyes). There were 23 males among them, the male-female ratio being 1.8:1. Mean age was 33.9 years. The occupations of injured persons were the following: the most common were workers--15, followed by clerks--seven, while less common were pupils, students, pensioners and housewives-three of each of them, and farmers--two. Front-seat passengers were the most common among the injured--20 (55.6%), then drivers--15 (41.7%), with only one passenger from the back seat on the right side (2.7%). As many as 33 (91.7%) of them failed to fasten their seat belts, while 18 (50.0%) were drunk. Penetrating bulbar injuries or eyeball ruptures were predominant--66.7%, while blunt injuries were found in only two (2.8%) eyes in one single person; but in 22 cases (30.5%) there was adnexal damage, too. Visual acuity at discharge and subsequent controls was as follows: amaurosis in 21 (29.2%), less than 0.3 in nine (5.6%), 0.4 and better in 42 (58.1%), and normal visual acuity of 1.0 in 28 patients (38.3%).

CONCLUSION

The major risk factors for getting bilateral eye injuries in traffic accidents proved to be: sitting in the front car seats, not fastening the seat belt and alcohol intoxication. Prevention of these risk factors would result in a decrease in such a large number of bilateral eye injuries.