Ocular Trauma Score as prognostic value in traumatic ocular injuries due to rotating wire brushes

Rotating wire brushes are used, e.g., for rust removal. Detaching fragments can cause severe eye injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate mechanism, severity, clinical outcome, validity of Ocular Trauma Score (OTS) and to assess the likelihood of final visual acuity.

Twenty patients with traumatic ocular injuries by rotating wire brushes were included. Location and type of injury, grade of injury according to OTS, surgical procedure, and development of visual acuity were evaluated.

Eleven accidents (55%) happened at work, nine at home (45%). Eighteen injuries (90%) were penetrating, one (5%) was perforating. In one case (5%), an intraocular foreign body was present. One case each was classified OTS 1 and 2 (5%), six cases OTS 3 (30%), four cases OTS 4 (20%), and eight cases OTS 5 (40%). None of the patients was wearing safety goggles. Fourteen patients (70%) were surgically treated. Of these, five were treated at the anterior segment only, nine additionally underwent pars-plana vitrectomy. Nine patients received phacoemulsification. Mean best corrected visual acuity was logMAR 1.0 (2/20) at admission and 0.3 (10/20) at last follow-up. Our results were similar to those in the OTS study, except for OTS 1 (p = 0.046). Comparing the categorical distribution of final visual acuity in all OTS categories, no statistically significant difference was found (p = 0.119) between our results and the OTS study group.

OTS may provide prognostic information in traumatic ocular injuries by rotating wire brushes. The injuries could have been avoided by wearing safety goggles.