PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical findings of 11 eyes of 7 patients who sustained retinal detachment (RD) caused by self-inflicted injury and to investigate the causes and the prognosis.
DESIGN: Case series. PARTICIPANTS: Seven patients (11 eyes) with self-inflicted eye injuries leading to RD.
METHODS: Retrospective chart review of clinical history, mechanism of injury, and surgical outcomes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical outcome after treatment for RD.
RESULTS: Self-inflicted injury occurs more frequently in nonverbal patients with severe developmental delay. Retinal detachment repair has a poor prognosis, with frequent recurrences resulting from repeat self-injury and proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The degree of vision loss in these patients was difficult to assess because of the challenges in assessing visual acuity, but it was likely severe in most cases.
CONCLUSIONS: Retinal detachment caused by self-inflicted injury frequently leads to a poor outcome because of recurrent RD. Closer monitoring of patients at greatest risk for ocular self-injury could help to prevent vision loss.