Ocular trauma refers to any injury to the eye or its surrounding structures. Damage can range from minor abrasions to serious globe-rupturing injuries.
Types of eye injury
Common mechanisms include blunt trauma, sharp penetrating injuries, chemical burns, and foreign bodies. The eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve can all be affected.
- Symptoms depend on the structures involved
- Serious trauma may cause sudden loss of vision
- Some injuries carry a risk of infection or secondary glaucoma
Assessment and management
Urgent ophthalmic assessment is essential to identify sight-threatening damage. Treatment is usually coordinated through emergency and specialist services such as general ophthalmology or vitreoretinal surgery units where needed.
