Ocular blunt trauma during wood chopping as the reason for serious visual impairments.

AIM The aim of the study was to present results of blunt ocular trauma with lens luxation to the vitreous during wood chopping. METHODS A retrospective study of 15 patients treated in the Department of Ophthalmology between 2000-2011 who suffered from serious eye injury during wood chopping. As a standard surgical procedure, pars plana vitrectomy with lens removal and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation was applied in all cases. The analysis includes the age, gender, visual acuity and intraocular pressure before and after surgical procedure, and at the end of follow-up. RESULTS Mean follow-up was 12 months. The group of patients consisted of 73.3% males (M) and 26.7% females (F). Mean age: 64 years (M - 63 y.o., F - 66.25 y.o.). Mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before treatment: 0.24 on the Snellen chart (< 0.1 - 6 patients, 0.1-0.3 - 5 patients, and > 0.3 - 4 patients). Mean BCVA after surgical treatment: 0.33 (< 0.1 - 4 patients, 0.1-0.3 - 5 patients and > 0.3 - 6 patients). Intraocular pressure (IOP) on the day of admission to hospital varied from 9-52 mmHg (mean - 20.6 mmHg). IOP after surgical procedure: 4-36 mmHg (mean - 20.7 mmHg). SUMMARY Wood chopping is still present in many homes in rural regions. In some cases, it may lead to serious ocular injury and potential loss of vision.