Man, 35, ruptures his EYE after his airbag struck him in the face
Man, 35, ruptures his EYE after his airbag struck him in the face when he crashed his sports car into a horse while driving at 62mph
- The man was driving at 62mph (100kmph) when he collided with the horse
- He felt contact with the airbag that deployed above the driver’s side window
- Doctors in Queensland claim it is the ‘first reported case’ of a ruptured globe caused by a side curtain air bag
A 35-year-old man who crashed his sports car into a horse ruptured his eye after his airbag struck him in his face.
The unnamed Australian was driving at 62mph (100kmph) when he collided with the horse, a medical case report reveals.
Upon reaching hospital, he recalled contact with the airbag that deployed above the driver’s side window at the time of the accident.
Doctors in Queensland were concerned about the patient’s blurry vision. A CT scan revealed a ‘grossly deformed’ right eyeball, or globe.
Upon reaching hospital, the unnamed man recalled contact with the airbag that deployed above the driver’s side window at the time of the accident
In the BMJ Case Reports, they wrote: ‘This is the first reported case of a ruptured globe caused by a side curtain air bag.’
It was also the first time a patient with a globe rupture that affected his sclera – the white of his eye – had their vision restored to such a degree.
Doctors at Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, predicted he had less than a 30 per cent chance of having a visual ascuity better than 6/60.
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Visual ascuity is the standard measure of clarity of vision. The most commonly heard is 20/20. The first number is how far someone can see detail. The second is how far someone should be able to see detail.
Ophthalmologists restored his vision to 6/9 – meaning he could see at six feet what someone should be able to see at nine.
DO AIRBAGS LEAD TO EYE INJURIES?
The first air bag patents were filed in 1953. The life-saving gadgets were introduced into cars in the 1970s by Ford, before other manufacturers followed suit.
It is estimated that air bags have reduced fatalities by 31 per cent and have reduced the rate of ocular injuries by a factor of 2.5 times.
But globe rupture is a devastating complication that can occur as a result of sudden air bag inflation, Dr Porter and colleagues wrote.
Air bag-related globe rupture in the literature has been reported in 14 cases.
It is linked with severe blunt trauma or laceration injury from the seams of the air bag or other projectile foreign bodies, such as spectacle lenses.
Medics revealed there was a ‘unique’, horseshoe-shaped rupture through the lateral rectus insertion – one of six muscles that control the movement of the eye.
This then caused the avulsion of the muscle, which tore the sclera, according to the report, led by Dr Ashley Porter.
The man underwent surgery two weeks after the collision. A silicone oil tamponade was used to fill the globe and repair the man’s visual ascuity.
Ophthalmologists will reassess the man’s vision in six to twelve months – and offer him a further repair, if it is needed.
It is unsure if the horse survived and no information has been provided in the journal about the state of the man’s car.
The first air bag patents were filed in 1953. The life-saving gadgets were introduced into cars in the 1970s by Ford, before other manufacturers followed suit.
It is estimated that air bags have reduced fatalities by 31 per cent and have reduced the rate of ocular injuries by a factor of 2.5 times.
But globe rupture is a devastating complication that can occur as a result of sudden air bag inflation, Dr Porter and colleagues wrote.
Air bag-related globe rupture in the literature has been reported in 14 cases.
It is linked with severe blunt trauma or laceration injury from the seams of the air bag or other projectile foreign bodies, such as spectacle lenses.
Professor Dan Reinstein, medical director at Harley Street’s London Vision Clinic, told MailOnline: ‘Rupturing your globe is a serious injury which means that the wall of the eye, the sclera or white part, has been split open.
‘This can often lead to damage to the internal structures of the eye, in particular the retina which is the film at the back of the camera that produces the images.
‘A ruptured globe requires immediate attention from eye surgeon and usually requires emergency surgery within a day or two at most.’
He added: ‘Airbag injuries to the eye are a recognised side effect of the major life-saving effects of air-bags.
‘While unfortunate, there is no real alternative at the present time to saving lives after car crashes.
‘Having said this, most eye injuries from air-bags, albeit rare, are repairable if attended to appropriately and in time.’
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