Traumatic cataracts secondary to combat ocular trauma.

PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics, visual outcomes, and predictive value of the Ocular Trauma Score (OTS) in eyes with traumatic cataract from combat ocular trauma.

SETTING

Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.

DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

METHODS

Records of service members with traumatic cataract from combat ocular trauma over a 7-year period were reviewed. Visual acuity at initial presentation and visual acuity at the final follow-up were compared in addition to outcomes in closed versus open globes, by final lens status, and in eyes receiving primary versus secondary intraocular lenses (IOLs). Visual outcomes were predicted using the OTS and compared to the achieved corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA).

RESULTS

A total of 181 eyes of 167 patients were included in the final analysis. Twenty-six percent of all eye injuries sustained traumatic cataract. The mean final visual outcome was 0.86 logMAR ± 1.01 (SD) with 44 no light perception (NLP) eyes and 26 light perception (LP) eyes compared with an initial visual acuity of 2.41 ± 0.88 logMAR with 27 no NLP eyes and 64 LP eyes (P ≤ .001, 2-tailed Student t test). Final CDVAs in eyes receiving primary IOLs were 0.72 ± 0.84 logMAR with 1 NLP and 1 LP eye versus 0.51 ± 0.78 logMAR with 2 LP eyes in eyes receiving a secondary IOL (P = .37, Student t test).

CONCLUSION

Traumatic cataracts are frequently associated with ocular trauma. The OTS is a reliable means of predicting visual outcome. There was no difference in eyes receiving primary IOLs versus secondary IOLs.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.