Ocular injuries sustained during blunt facial trauma.

Ocular and adnexal injuries frequently occur during blunt facial trauma but the actual incidence and visual consequence of these injuries have not been heretofore established in any large series. Our review of 1,436 cases of maxillofacial trauma presenting from 1973-1980 outlines the types of fractures, associated specific ocular injuries, and their visual significance. Fifty-one percent (727) of these patients received complete ophthalmologic examination and 67% of these sustained ocular injuries. Seventy-nine percent of the eye injuries were categorized as temporary, 18% were serious, and 3% were blinding. The positive yield for eye injuries approached or exceeded 60% in nasal, midface, and frontal fractures. These data provide concrete evidence for placing high priority on ophthalmologic consultation in all cases of maxillofacial trauma.