TY - JOUR
T1 - Airsoft Gun-Related Ocular Injuries
T2 - Novel Findings, Ballistics Investigation, and Histopathologic Study
AU - Kratz, Assaf
AU - Levy, Jaime
AU - Cheles, Dorina
AU - Ashkenazy, Zach
AU - Tsumi, Erez
AU - Lifshitz, Tova
PY - 2010/1/1
Y1 - 2010/1/1
N2 - Purpose: To describe the ocular injuries related to airsoft gun bullets, investigate the ballistics of airsoft bullets, record real-time impact of the bullets on an eye, and investigate the histopathologic changes within the cornea after being hit by an airsoft gun bullet. Design: Retrospective, interventional case series and experimental animal study. Methods: All consecutive cases of patients with airsoft gun-related ocular injuries during 2006 to 2008 were included in this study. Porcine eyes were used for high-speed video photographs of bullet impacts. Rabbit eyes were used for the histopathologic investigation. All patients were treated in the Department of Ophthalmology at Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Laboratory investigations were performed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. The main outcome measures were ocular injuries of the patients, ballistics of the airsoft bullets, nature of corneal deformation upon impact, and corneal histopathologic changes after the hit. Results: Fifty-nine patients with a mean age of 9.8 ± 3.8 years (range, 2.8 to 26 years) were examined; 49 were male (83.1%). The ocular injuries included hyphema, corneal edema, corneal erosion, traumatic mydriasis, and posterior segment involvement. A novel, "donut" form of corneal erosion was seen and also demonstrated by the histopathologic investigation. Substantial anterior segment deformation was recorded in real-time using the high-speed video camera. Conclusions: Airsoft gun injuries affect mainly young men and can be visually threatening. Typical ocular injuries along with a unique form of corneal erosion can be seen.
AB - Purpose: To describe the ocular injuries related to airsoft gun bullets, investigate the ballistics of airsoft bullets, record real-time impact of the bullets on an eye, and investigate the histopathologic changes within the cornea after being hit by an airsoft gun bullet. Design: Retrospective, interventional case series and experimental animal study. Methods: All consecutive cases of patients with airsoft gun-related ocular injuries during 2006 to 2008 were included in this study. Porcine eyes were used for high-speed video photographs of bullet impacts. Rabbit eyes were used for the histopathologic investigation. All patients were treated in the Department of Ophthalmology at Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Laboratory investigations were performed at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. The main outcome measures were ocular injuries of the patients, ballistics of the airsoft bullets, nature of corneal deformation upon impact, and corneal histopathologic changes after the hit. Results: Fifty-nine patients with a mean age of 9.8 ± 3.8 years (range, 2.8 to 26 years) were examined; 49 were male (83.1%). The ocular injuries included hyphema, corneal edema, corneal erosion, traumatic mydriasis, and posterior segment involvement. A novel, "donut" form of corneal erosion was seen and also demonstrated by the histopathologic investigation. Substantial anterior segment deformation was recorded in real-time using the high-speed video camera. Conclusions: Airsoft gun injuries affect mainly young men and can be visually threatening. Typical ocular injuries along with a unique form of corneal erosion can be seen.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=72049090626&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ajo.2009.08.013
DO - 10.1016/j.ajo.2009.08.013
M3 - Article
C2 - 19878919
AN - SCOPUS:72049090626
SN - 0002-9394
VL - 149
SP - 37-44.e2
JO - American Journal of Ophthalmology
JF - American Journal of Ophthalmology
IS - 1
ER -