Investigation of forensic cases with ocular trauma.

Abstract

Background: Medico-legal reports prepared for cases involving ocular trauma play an important role in the legal process. After obtaining a detailed medical history, these cases must be examined comprehensively. This study aimed to analyze medico-legal reports prepared for ocular trauma cases referred to the forensic medicine outpatient clinic and to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, the types of trauma sustained, and the nature of the injuries.

Methods: In this study, the forensic medical records of 424 patients with ocular trauma resulting from forensic incidents were retrospectively analyzed. The cases were reviewed based on variables such as gender, age, age group, cause of injury (type of incident), nature of the incident (intentional or accidental), medical diagnosis, site of the eye injury, whether inpatient treatment was required in the ophthalmology clinic, and whether the injury resulted in visual sequelae.

Results: Of the 424 cases, 310 (73.1%) were male and 114 (26.9%) were female. The most common age group was 20-29 years, accounting for 118 cases (27.8%). The most frequent cause of injury was assault, reported in 330 cases (77.8%). Women were found to be more frequently exposed to domestic violence (p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.487). The most common finding was periorbital edema/ecchymosis, observed in 288 cases (67.9%), followed by subconjunctival hemorrhage in 71 cases (16.7%). Patients with open-globe injuries were more frequently hospitalized (p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.788) and underwent surgical treatment (p<0.001, Cramer's V=0.879) compared to those with closed-globe injuries.

Conclusion: It was observed that most forensic cases examined in our study involved mild injuries, limited to adnexal structures and the anterior segment, with generally minor symptoms. Physicians are advised to carefully examine and assess female patients with ocular trauma for potential signs of domestic violence.