Forensic Aspects of Ocular Trauma

Annually, about 1.6 million people lose their visual acuity, with a maximum incidence in young adults and in the elderly [1-4]. If visual loss occurs after the loss of the eyeball due to a physical assault on a victim it is considered a legal case. The ophthalmologist must provide forensic evidence showing the status of the victim, and this requires a detailed eye examination, including an accurate description of lesions and appropriate investigations to support the diagnosis. Ocular trauma types most often encountered are ocular contusions (47%), followed by penetrating trauma (27%), perforating trauma (2%), and penetrating/perforating trauma with intraocular foreign body (5%), chemical burns, accompanied by partial or total loss of visual acuity and even the eyeball. Penetrating ocular trauma is the most frequent and important cause of vision loss worldwide [1]. We present the epidemiological characteristics of a series of 109 cases of ocular trauma, illustrate it with the clinical presentation of a case with severe opened eye injury caused by a physical assault with a metal body, and discuss the forensic implications of a sense organ loss.