Sensorimotor Outcomes in Pediatric Patients With Ocular Trauma in Baltimore

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate sensorimotor outcomes following traumatic open globe injuries in the pediatric population. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 80 pediatric patients aged 0.4 to 17.7 years (mean age: 9.3 years, median age: 8.3 years) presenting with traumatic open globe injury to the Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland Medical Centers was evaluated between January 2006 and January 2020. Parameters included the mechanism of injury, length of time of visual deprivation, initial and final visual acuity, additional eye pathologies, and demographic factors such as age and sex. Results: Among children with more than 6 months of follow-up, 77.4% developed poor stereopsis and 50% developed strabismus. Children who developed strabismus had a lower Pediatric Ocular Trauma Score (POTS), indicating greater severity of injury, than children who did not develop strabismus ( P = .005, chi-square test). A higher POTS, indicating less severe ocular injury, significantly correlated to a better stereoacuity ( P = .001, chi-square test). Conclusions: The findings indicate that strabismus and poor stereopsis are common in pediatric open globe injuries, occurring in more than half of children with pediatric open globe trauma. These outcomes are associated with poor presenting visual acuity, more severe ocular trauma, and a lower presenting POTS. [ J Pediatr Ophthalmol & Strabismus . 2022;59(5):303–309.]