Purpose: To describe the epidemiologic aspects of closed-globe injury with contusion and its alterations. Methods: Forty patients with closed-globe injury, were analyzed prospectively between January 1998 and February 1999. They were attended at the Ocular Trauma Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Escola Paulista de Medicina-Federal University of São Paulo. A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed in all patients and they were classified according to the new classification proposed by Pieramici et al (1997). Results: Sixty-seven and a half percent (67.5%) of the studied patients were less than 30 years old. The main causes were: accidents at home and acts of violence with 32.5% each. In relation to visual acuity, with best correction, 60.0% of the patients did not achieve 20/100 visual acuity. Seventy-five per cent (75.0%) showed improvement in visual acuity during follow-up and most in less than 1 month. Fifty-two and a half percent (52.5%) were classified as zone III. Fifty percent (50%) of the patients developed hyphema and 67.5% had some grade of angle recession, higher than 180° in 30.0%. Conclusions: In relation the patients attended at the Ocular Trauma Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Paulo Escola Paulista de Medicina, more than 13 years old, males, with closed-globe injury we may conclude: 1. it is more prevalent in adults; 2. the main causes were domestic accidents and violence (32.5% each); 3. it presents good visual acuity recovery, except for zone III patients; 4. fifty per cent developed hyphema; 5. more than a half had angle recession (67.5%) and 30.0% had angle recession over 180°.
Eye injuries
