Anesthesia for ocular trauma

Abstract

Controversies exist regarding optimal anesthetic management of patients receiving surgery for ocular trauma. Ocular injuries are commonly encountered in clinical practice as an estimated 750,000 patients are hospitalized with eye injuries annually throughout the world. Many, particularly those with open globe injuries, require surgery, often under emergency conditions that make the patient’s anesthetic management challenging. This paper reviews epidemiological data illustrating the prevalence and incidence of serious eye injuries and then presents a case study detailing the anesthetic management of a severely traumatized patient to illustrate a discussion of current options and recommendations for the management of such cases.