Surgical treatment of war lesions to the posterior segment of the eye.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of surgical treatment of war lesions to the posterior eye segment.

METHODS

During a 1-year period, 96 patients with severe eye lesions, 54 of them with intraocular foreign bodies (56.2%), were operated on at the Institute for Posterior Eye Segment Diseases and Trauma, Zagreb Clinical Hospital. Surgical procedures performed included high-quality primary microsurgery of the wound, extraction of intraocular foreign bodies, treatment of double perforating wounds by silicone oil tamponade and gas, and emergency vitrectomy when necessary.

RESULTS

A varying degree of vision function improvement was achieved in 67 patients (69.7%). Most of the foreign bodies removed were metal and nonmagnetic. Only six foreign bodies were made of glass, and two 2 were of plastic material. In 29 patients (30.3%), the vision function remained unchanged or deteriorated after vitrectomy.

CONCLUSION

Although satisfactory results were achieved, definitive evaluation of the procedures will be possible only after long-term follow-up.