Evaluation of vitrectomy in penetrating ocular trauma. A case-control study.

A case-control retrospective evaluation of vitrectomy in penetrating ocular trauma was performed by matching 89 eyes, managed with vitrectomy, with 89 similar eyes that did not undergo vitrectomy. The cases were matched according to factors previously shown to correlate with the visual outcome, including the following: (1) type of trauma; (2) length and posterior extent of the laceration; (3) type and degree of lens involvement; and (4) type and location of any intraocular foreign body. The groups differed in the distribution of initial visual acuity, which was worse in the vitrectomy group. When the final visual results were compared, no statistical advantage from vitrectomy was found. However, beneficial trends were demonstrated in air rifle and double-penetrating injuries, as well as in other severe injuries in which initial visual acuity was worse than 5/200.