Pediatric retinal trauma

Abstract

Trauma to the posterior segment of the globe in children encompasses a wide variety of presentations and clinical manifestations. It often results in significant ocular morbidity and remains the most frequent cause of unilateral blindness [1, 2]. The consequences of pediatric ocular trauma pose a serious challenge to the patient, family, and treating ophthalmologist. Several features of the child's response to ocular trauma make treatment difficult. These include (1) the child's high level of anxiety, which may necessitate anesthesia for an accurate examination; (2) a vigorous and exuberant healing response with a significant fibrotic component; (3) different surgical anatomy and physical relationships that require specific understanding, and the battle with amblyopia that begins at the moment of the injury and compounded by media opacities, aphakia, undesired astigmatism, and retinal pathology. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.