EYE INJURIES

Every eye injury is unique. Each eye trauma patient is unique and their treatment can surprise us both in a bad way and in a good way. A seemingly mild injury may lead to a poor functional result, and vice versa – a severe injury may surprise us with good function after treatment. Despite the diversity of trauma, ophthalmic traumatologists strive to introduce order and methodology to facilitate the diagnosis, surgical and medical treatment of these conditions. It is necessary to improve the prevention and rehabilitation of patients with eye injuries.

40 years ago, two wonderful books were published in Bulgaria - "Ocular Traumatism" and "Emergency Ophthalmology", which served to educate generations of ophthalmologists. From then until today, the mechanism of injury occurrence has not changed, but there is a difference in their causes. The Internet and computers indirectly lead to a reduction in the number of injuries - children do not play ball and with caps, they are constantly in front of monitors. The number of injuries from farm animals and knives has decreased, but those from airbags, surfboards and drones are emerging. The nature of closed and open injuries remains the same. A significant simplification of the classification of mechanical eye injuries, the introduction and development of new diagnostic techniques – CT, MRI, UBM, the improvement of B-ultrasound and OCT – has been observed. The most significant advances have been made in surgical techniques with the development of vitrectomy, endoscopic surgery, foreign body extraction methods, artificial cornea and iris, and pole to pole surgery.

This edition is a guide to ocular trauma intended for beginning ophthalmologists and students with an interest in eye disease.