TY - JOUR PY - 2014// TI - Rethinking airbag safety: airbag injury causing bilateral blindness JO - Middle East African journal of ophthalmology A1 - Ogun, Olufunmilola Abimbola A1 - Ikyaa, Sewuese Yangi A1 - Ogun, Gabriel Olabiyi SP - 196 EP - 199 VL - 21 IS - 2 N2 - A healthy 40-year-old man, restrained in the front passenger seat, suffered visually disabling blunt ocular trauma following spontaneous release of the passenger side air-bag module, during vehicular deceleration, without an automobile crash. Though the driver-side airbag was also released, the driver was unharmed. The passenger suffered bilateral hyphema, bilateral vitreous hemorrhage and suspected posterior scleral rupture in the left eye and also had an eyebrow laceration, from impact with the dashboard panel covering the air-bag module, which was detached by the force of airbag deployment. This is the first reported case from West Africa and the first case in which part of the airbag module detached to cause additional trauma. This report adds to the growing burden of evidence world-wide, for a review of the safety aspects of the automobile airbag. This case clearly illustrates that although airbags reduce mortality, they carry a high risk of ocular morbidity, even with seat belt restraint.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0974-9233 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0974-9233.129777 ID - ref1 ER -