Etiology and prognosis of penetrating eye injuries in geriatric patients in the Southeastern region of Anatolia Turkey.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the etiologic and prognostic factors of open eye injuries in geriatric patients in the Southeastern region of Anatolia.

Methods: Forty-five geriatric patients who underwent surgery for an open eye injury in our clinic between the years of 2008 and 2012 were evaluated retrospectively. Age, gender, cause and the mechanism of the trauma, visual acuity (VA), and the time between the trauma and the surgery were obtained from files and evaluated.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 70.4±8.2 (65-90) years. Thirty-four of the cases were male and 11 were female. The most frequent mechanism of trauma was a wood strike, while the second most common one was injury with a knife. Corneoscleral penetration was the most frequently observed trauma. The mean VA of the patients was 2.26±0.65 at admission, and was 1.53±0.99 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution at the final evaluation. The most frequent complications of trauma were iris prolapse and hyphema. There was a significant correlation between the first and final VA.

Conclusion: Penetrating ocular injuries are seen less frequently among geriatric patients, and their prognosis may be worse due to less-efficient wound site healing and differences in scleral rigidity. The most important factor affecting the final VA measurement was the VA of the patient at admission.