Citation

Moore AT, McCartney A, Cooling RJ. Eye 1987; 1 ( Pt 3): 422-429.

Affiliation

Institute of Ophthalmology, London.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/eye.1987.64

PMID

3653446

Abstract

Sixty patients with eye injuries resulting from the use of airguns were admitted to a large eye hospital over an 11-year period. The typical patient was a young male teenager; 70 per cent of patients were under the age of 17, the age at which it is legally permissible to own an air weapon. In 4 cases the missile lodged in the ocular adnexae, in 18 cases there was a penetrating eye injury and in 38 patients blunt nonpenetrating eye injury. The prognosis for visual recovery was poor especially following penetration of the globe; visual acuity was reduced to 6/60 or less in 40 per cent of all eyes and in 18 per cent the injured eye was excised.

Language: en