The following is a summary of “High risk and low prevalence diseases: Open globe injury,” published in the February 2023 issue of Emergency Medicine by Pelletier, et al.

An uncommon but deadly disease with a high morbidity rate is known as open globe injury (OGI). For a study, researchers sought to determine the strengths and weaknesses of OGI and how the condition is presented, diagnosed, and treated in the emergency department (ED) using the most recent research.

OGI describes damage to the layers of the eye in its entirety. The subtypes of OGI include puncture, perforation, intraocular foreign body (IOFB), globe rupture, and mixed kinds. OGI can be brought on by blunt or severe trauma. OGI is more frequent in men and typically follows a work-related injury, whereas, in women, it is more frequently linked to falls. First, emergency doctors should look for and treat any additional serious, perhaps fatal, injuries. A complete eye exam was required after the assessment. The diagnosis cannot be completely ruled out by computed tomography (CT) but may indicate the condition. Even though point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was very sensitive and specific for various OGI results, its usage was debatable because of the possibility of globe-content ejection. The affected eye must be protected from further harm, Valsalva maneuvers that could extrude the eye’s contents must be avoided, tetanus vaccination status must be updated, broad-spectrum antibiotics must be given, and ophthalmology consultation for surgical intervention is necessary to avoid the sequelae of blindness and endophthalmitis.

Understanding OGI can help emergency professionals diagnose and treat the traumatizing, sight-threatening condition.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735675722007410