2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
12 Retina and Vitreous
Part II: Disorders of the Retina and Vitreous
Chapter 18: Posterior Segment Manifestations of Trauma
Open-Globe Injuries
Perforating Injuries
A globe-perforating injury has both entrance and exit wounds. Globe-perforating injuries may be caused by objects of varying sharpness such as needles, knives, high-velocity pellets, or small fragments of metal. An important iatrogenic cause is needle perforation during retrobulbar or peribulbar anesthesia for intraocular surgery. Studies have shown that, after perforating injuries, fibrous proliferation occurs along the scaffold of damaged vitreous between the entrance and exit wounds. The wounds are often closed by fibrosis within 5–7 days after the injury, depending on wound size. Small-gauge injuries with only a small amount of hemorrhage and no significant collateral damage often heal without serious sequelae.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.