Photo Documentation In Ocular Trauma

Objective: Aim of the study is to photograph different cases of ocular trauma to ensure the safety of an ophthalmologist in giving prognosis and avoiding problems which are faced in court of law in criminal cases. Study Design: Hospital based, Cross sectional descriptive study Place And Duration: Department of ophthalmology, Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi. From July 2013 to March 2014 Material And Method: Hundred (100) Patients of ocular trauma were enrolled in the study on basis of nonprobability consective sampling. Their photographs were taken with the help of camera Kowa Fx 50 R. Blunt and penetrating injuries were included. Anterior and posterior segment findings were photographed. Comatose, younger than 6 years, corneal abrasions and corneal foreign bodies were excluded from the study. Data was analyzed on SPSS version 16. Result: Among 100 patients (72) were males with male to female ratio of 3:1. Close globe injuries were (64) and open globe injuries were (36). lid cut 6%, subconjunctival hemorrhages 10%, corneal cut 28%, hyphema 10%, subluxated lens 4%, cataract 10%, traumatic aniridia 2%, Choroidal rupture 4%, Traumatic optic atrophy 2% and Commotio retinae 2%. Conclusion: Ocular photographs are the best evidence to be used in medico legal cases and compensatory purposes. The new aspect to be highlighted is to photograph every case of an ocular trauma to avoid unnecessary aggravation and harassment to the ophthalmologist in different criminal medico legal and compensatory cases.