Anterior segment optical coherence tomography in eye injuries

To evaluate the usefulness of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS OCT) for initial diagnosis and for monitoring treatment results in eye injury cases. We examined 38 eyes of 34 patients with different types of ocular injuries: penetrating injury (eight eyes), perforating injury (two eyes), intraocular foreign body (four eyes), ocular burn (nine eyes), contusion (13 eyes), and lamellar laceration (two eyes). The mean age of the patients was 33.8 years. AS OCT examination was performed at the initial visit, directly after injury, and repeated as treatment progressed. Both anterior chamber components and corneal pachymetry were evaluated. Slit-lamp examination did not provide a clear diagnosis in three eyes after contusion because of a nontransparent cornea. In one case of a 44-year-old male patient, only corneal edema was noticed during slit-lamp examination, whereas AS OCT revealed Descemet's membrane detachment. In a 17-year-old male patient with blood infiltrating the cornea, OCT revealed acute angle closure with a pupillary block. In patients with corneal burns, OCT was valuable for monitoring the corneal healing progress after amniotic membrane application. OCT was also useful for determining whether a lamellar or penetrating technique should be applied in patients that qualified for corneal transplantation. In patients with foreign bodies, AS OCT was helpful in establishing the localization and size of the foreign body. AS OCT is a very valuable tool in ophthalmic departments dealing with ocular trauma, for early diagnosis and for monitoring treatment progress.