[Severe ocular injuries caused by fishing equipment].

Background: Severe ocular injuries due to fishing equipment are rare, almost exclusively involve the anterior segments of men, and bear a bad prognosis. We report on two men and one woman with different etiologies of accidents.

Patients: In two men (53 and 39 yrs. OD and OS) and one woman (27 yrs., OD) a choroidal rupture due to a lead weight and subsequent choroidal neovascularisation (1x), temporal and nasal scleral and retinal lacerations (2x) due to a fish pick and a fish hook were noted. A laceration of the m. rectus int. (1x), uveal and retinal prolapse (1x), traumatic aniridia and aphakia (1x), a 12 and a 15 mm corneoscleral perforation temporal and nasal resp. including a retinal incarceration, a giant retinal tear 270 degrees, and vitreous and subretinal hemorrhage were seen.

Surgery: Interventions included 2x tight wound closure, 3x ppv, retinotomies (1x) endolasercoagulation (3x), silicone oil instillation (3x), muscel refixation (1x), and posterior lens implantation (1x). Subsequent surgery were silicone oil removal (2x) and membrane peeling (1x).

Results: An anatomical reconstruction was achieved in all of the patients, and the best postoperative visual acuity was gained after 4-6 months (+6.0 sph (2x) = 0.5, and +4.0 sph (1x) = 0.3). Silicone oil was removed after 4 and 13 months resp. followed by hypotony and redetachments, in one patient with silicone oil in place vision remained stable for > 2 years up to now at 0.5.

Conclusions: Accidents due to fishing equipment may result in lacerations and contusions and involve women as well as. Surgery for extensive lacerations and complications of choroidal ruptures may not be hopeless, however, the prognosis for subsequent interventions is not good. Indications to remove silicone oil in eyes bearing a relative ciliary body insufficiency due to a long-standing insufficient wound closure should be done very cautiously.