Corneal Wounds : About 697 Cases

Eye injuries are a serious ophthalmological emergency. They represent an important cause of morbidity and disability, especially in young people. A good knowledge of the epidemiological aspects of these accidents makes it possible to establish preventive measures which alone will allow a reduction in their prevalence. 

The purpose: to describe different epidemiological and clinical aspects, the therapeutic approaches and the prognosis of corneal wounds.

Mohammed VI university hospital. 

It is a retrospective and prospective study, over a period of 4 years. 

The parameters studied: visual acuity, age, sex, laterality, causative agent, clinical aspect, associated lesions, complications, therapeutic approaches and functional and organic results. 

6097 cases of corneal wounds were identified. Domestic accidents were the most common cause. Initial visual acuity was less than 1 logMar in most of our patients, while 60% had corrected visual acuity greater than 0,3 logMAR postoperatively. The wound involved zone I (limited to the cornea) in 68.7%, zone II (going up to 5 mm from the limbus in the anterior sclera) in 22.4%, and zone III (extended beyond a point 5 mm from the limbus into the sclera) in 8.9%. An intraocular foreign body was present in 14.9% of cases). Surgical management (suture of the wound) was carried out urgently within a period that varies between 24 and 48 hours in 53% of cases. 523 patients were corrected by glasses, 55 by rigid lens, 12 by scleral lens.  

Ocular wounds represent a public health problem given their psychological, functional and socioeconomic repercussions. The best treatment remains preventive, involving good awareness.