BACKGROUND: Almost all perforating eye injuries present to dedicated eye units. Data from eye units are therefore reliable indicators of the incidence of perforating injuries. AIMS: To establish the aetiology and visual outcome of perforating eye injuries presenting to one unit over a twelve-month period. METHODS: Patients with eye injury were identified from the operating room register. Case-notes were reviewed and eye examinations were performed to determine current level of vision. RESULTS: A total of 37 perforating eye injuries were operated on in the 12-month period from January to December 1995. Thirty one patients (83.8%) were male. The mean age was 33.9 years. The chief causes were work related or do-it-yourself (DIY) in 32.4%, miscellaneous accidents in 27.0%, assault in 16.2%, road traffic accidents in 10.8%. Twenty eyes (54.1%) were blind with acuity < 6/60 at their most recent review. CONCLUSION: Work-related and DIY injuries are the most common causes of eye perforation. Many of these injuries are easily preventable with appropriate eye protection. The proportion of injuries resulting from road traffic accidents was low. Injuries due to assault are becoming more prevalent and carry a poor visual prognosis.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pituitary apoplexy in an ectopic pituitary tumour.

A case report of a patient with unilateral visual loss, due to infarction in an ectopic pituitary tumour, is presented. Good return of vision followed surgical removal of the tumour.

Adenoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Polyacrylic acid gel in patients with dry eyes: a randomised comparison with polyvinyl alcohol.

PURPOSE: To compare the safety and efficacy of polyacrylic acid 0.2% (PAA) gel and polyvinylalcohol 1.4% (PVA) in the treatment of patients with dry eyes. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients with dry eyes were randomly allocated to treatment with either PAA (48) or PVA (41) in a prospective, investigator-masked study in two centres. The parameters assessed were daily frequency of instillation of the study medications, ocular signs and symptoms, tear film break up time, Schirmer's test values, local tolerance and global assessment of the improvement following treatment. RESULTS: The two groups were similar in patient demographics and study parameters at baseline. The total score of symptoms (gritty or foreign body sensation, burning sensation, dry eye sensation, photophobia, others) and signs (conjunctival hyperaemia, ciliary injection, corneal and conjunctival epithelial staining) was reduced significantly more by treatment with PAA than with PVA at both three and six weeks (p < 0.0001). The daily frequency of instillation of PAA was significantly less than that PVA on 38 of the 41 (93%) study days. Both PAA and PVA were safe and equally well-tolerated except for blurred vision, usually mild and transient, on PAA. On global assessment of the improvement in their dry eye condition, significantly more PAA patients felt better on treatment at six (p = 0.02) weeks compared with those on PVA. CONCLUSIONS: Polyacrylic acid gel was as safe as and more effective than polyvinylalcohol in the treatment of patients with dry eyes.

Acrylic Resins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypertensive retinopathy: a cause of decreased visual acuity in children.

Hypertensive retinopathy may present atypically in children. Delays in diagnosis may result in permanent visual loss, as demonstrated in three cases we saw.

Adolescent↗