Initial visual acuity was the most important factor for predicting final visual acuity. A patient with an initial visual acuity 20/800 or better was 28 times more likely to have a final visual acuity of 20/800 or better.
For patients with an initial visual acuity of 20/800 or better, an age <= 18 years was predictive of a final visual acuity of 20/50 or better.
For patients with an initial visual acuity worse than 20/800, favorable factors were:
(1) injury to the cornea only
(2) location of injury anterior to the rectus muscle
(3) lens normal or with cataract
(4) no intraocular foreign body
Prognosis was poor if the lens was expelled or subluxed.
If an intraocular foreign body is present in a patient with an initial visual acuity worse than 20/800, then an age > 18 years was a predictor of a better visual outcome.
In Table 4, the "best possible" findings were:
(1) age <= 18 years
(2) length < 10 mm
(3) injury anterior to the rectus muscle insertion
(4) no intraocular foreign body
(5) injury confined to the cornea only
(6) nonblunt injury
Something missing from this list is the lens being normal or with cataract.
Limitations:
• The study is over 20 years old. Newer treatments may have improved visual outcomes following trauma.
