Toy-gun pellet-related ocular trauma on festive occasions.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Toy-guns with plastic pellets are used on festive and social occasions by children in Pakistan. Assuming these guns as toys and incapable to cause severe ocular damage, these are favorites, cheap and easily available without age restriction.

PURPOSE: Reporting the data, treatment methods and results of the patients sustaining eye injuries with toy gun pellets.

SUBJECTS & METHODS: Prior permission was sought from Institutional Review Board of King Edward Medical University, Lahore. This is a retrospective analysis of patients with toy gun eye injuries who presented at Ophthalmology Unit-I, Mayo hospital Lahore, from January 2017 to May 2018. We observed demographic data and the type of injuries to the eyes, choice of treatment and visual acuity after treatment.

RESULTS: Thirty (30) patients (22 male & 8 females) with ocular injuries due to Toy gun plastic pellets were included in this study. Gun pellet casualties were common in a young male with mean age 13.63 years ranging 4½ to 40 years. Most injuries to the globe were without laceration (n=20) and were unilateral (n=30). Most common ocular injury encountered was corneal abrasions (36.60%), followed by hyphema(33.33%) and corneal laceration (13.30%). No case of vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachment, or intraocular foreign body was reported. Cases were managed conservatively. Corneoscleral laceration repair was done in four (04) cases while cataract surgery was done in two (02) cases only.

CONCLUSION: Ocular injuries resulting from pellets of plastic toy guns are quite significant in number among the younger population on festive occasions. It is desirable to report pellet related ocular injuries and their disastrous impact on visual acuity for proper public education.