%0 Journal Article
%T Air bags and eye injuries: chemical burns and major traumatic ocular lesions--a case study
%J Journal Francais d'Ophtalmologie
%D 2003
%A Bendeddouche, K.
%A Assaf, E.
%A Emadisson, H.
%A Forestier, F.
%A Salvanet-Bouccara, A.
%V 26
%N 8
%P 819-823
%X The authors report a case of bilateral eye lesions  with extended visual sequelae after the inflation of a driver's airbag  during a head-on collision. The superficial facial lesions were accompanied by  bilateral eye lesions, reaching both the anterior and posterior segments.  Bilateral periorbital palpebral hematomas; voluminous bipalpebral edema combined  with severe -conjunctival edema, corneal erosions, and edema; bilateral hyphema;  pupillary changes with multiple iris sphincter breaks and weak pupillary light  reflex only on the right eye; retrocession of the iridocorneal angle; and on  fundus examination both retinas had posterior and peripheral hemorrhages and  Berlin retinal edema. Five years after the trauma and 4 years after  posttraumatic surgery for cataract that had progressively appeared on the left  eye, the visual acuity is 25/20 in both eyes notwithstanding a small paracentral  scotoma related to a break in the Bruch membrane. A review of the literature  shows several types of ophthalmological lesions related to the airbag mechanism,  which after combustion of an alkaline powder inflates at a very high speed,  resulting in a risk of corneal-conjunctive-palpebral alkaline burns added to an  eye contusion, which may be responsible for severe lesions. The American studies  distinguish three factors affecting the seriousness of these airbag accidents:  (a) wearing glasses, (b) position and size of the driver, and (c) inflation  force of the airbag. Wearing a seatbelt is mandatory to minimize the violence of  the oculofacial impact. After facial trauma from an airbag, an ophthalmological  examination is necessary to assess of the chemical burns of the tissues exposed  to the alkaline powder and possible major ocular lesions.
%G 
%I Masson Editeur
%@ 0181-5512
%U http://dx.doi.org/