Eye trauma, defined as any injury to the eye, is responsible for one third of all cases of vision loss in children 10 years or younger. Corneal abrasion is the most common type of eye trauma, and results from a scratch or wounding of the cornea, or convex outer surface of the eye. Another more serious form of eye trauma is known as hyphema, which is characterized by a pooling of blood in the front section of the eye. Both of these conditions require attention by a physician or ophthalmologist, but are treatable.Corneal abrasions may result from a wide range of events, including the presence of a foreign object in the eye, a scratch from an external source or even the prolonged use of contact lenses. Although corneal abrasions are usually caused by physical contact to the eye, inadequate eye protection from UV light or prolonged sunlight exposure can also damage the eye.
Hyphema may be caused by the same types of physical trauma as corneal abrasions, or can result from other existing medical conditions. These include ophthalmic surgery, rubeosis iridis (abnormal blood vessel growth in the iris), vitreous hemorrhage (the presence of blood in the gel fluid behind the eye), blood dyscrasias (when the ingredients of the blood are irregular, such as in hemophilia), and neoplasia (abnormal or uncontrolled growth of tissue). Moreover, individuals taking blood-thinning medications, such as coumadin or heparin, and diabetes patients are also at risk.
