Acute Retinal Hematomas
When someone has an auto accident or motorcycle accident, there are many different injuries they could sustain. One of the less common injuries is a retinal hematoma. Even though this injury is rare, complications could include blindness.
What is a Retinal Hematoma?
Most people have experienced a bruise at some point in their life. Images of pain, a black or blue spot, and prolonged soreness likely come to mind. A bruise is a collection of blood that develops when a vein is damaged under the surface of the skin. It turns blue because the blood in the veins is blue. A hematoma is also a collection of blood; however, it is a solid collection of blood. The blood is solid because it has become clotted within this collection. A hematoma often results from a traumatic injury. They often occur as a result of abdominal trauma but a retinal hematoma is possible as well. Recently, a study was performed that explored where retinal hematomas come from and how they should be managed.
A Medical Study: Management of Acute Retinal Hematomas
A hospital took a look at their medical records over a ten year period. Because retinal hematomas often result from bone fractures of the eye socket, they narrowed their search to this period. They found over 2,500 patients with orbital fractures in this ten-year period. Of these patients they found that:
- The average age of the patients with retinal hematomas was 24 years old.
- By far, the most common cause of a retinal hematoma was from either an auto accident or a motorcycle accident.
- Every patient with a retinal hematoma had a loss of visual acuity on that side. This means that they could not effectively read the eye chart.
- The most common associated symptom was the absence of a pupillary light reflex in the affected eye.
- 82 percent of patients who received surgical therapy made a full recovery.
- 42 percent of patients who received medical therapy without surgical therapy made a full recovery.
Moving Forward: Legal Help with Eye Damage
Based on the results of this study, a retinal hematoma has a tremendous chance to lead to a loss of vision to some extent. The most common symptom was a lack of pupillary response to light in the affected eye. When light is shown in the eye, the pupil should constrict. If it does not, this is a serious problem. If someone has a retinal hematoma, it appears that surgical management has the best chance at a full recovery. If someone has sustained this type of injury in a car accident, it is a good idea to meet with an experienced car accident attorney in Sacramento. Everyone should discuss their options fully before making a decision.
Car Accident Attorneys in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Car Accident Attorney in Sacramento. If you or a family member has sustained eye damage in a car accident, please call me at (916) 921-6400. I will provide friendly, free advice. You can also call me our toll-free line: (800) 404-5400.
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Image Attribution: The eye image at the beginning of this page was located on Unsplash. It has has been printed here with permission
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