Clinical Outcomes and Etiological Factors in Ocular Chemical and Thermal Burns

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Pota Ç. E., Şerifoğlu Ö. E. G., Öcal O., İlhan H. D.

Bozok Tıp Dergisi, cilt.15, ss.1-7, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)

• Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
• Cilt numarası: 15
• Basım Tarihi: 2025
• Doi Numarası: 10.16919/bozoktip.1700287
• Dergi Adı: Bozok Tıp Dergisi
• Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-7
• Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objective: To evaluate the clinical findings of patients admitted to the emergency department due to thermal

and chemical ocular burns and to investigate the etiological causes.

Material and Methods: Four hundred seventy-four (9.8%) chemical and thermal ocular burn cases presented

to the emergency department of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine between 2019 and 2024 were

evaluated. Patients' age, gender, exposure, initial examination findings, and post-treatment permanent damage

status were evaluated.

Results: Of the 474 patients included in the study, 82.1% were adults and 17.9% were pediatric. Corneal burns

were most commonly observed in the pediatric group due to adhesives, while in the adult group, bleach

(sodium hypochlorite) was the most common cause of corneal burns. Bleach, adhesives, and thermal burns

were observed to be the most common causes of initial examination damage, while bleach was the most

common cause of permanent damage complications. Significant differences were found between the causative

agents in terms of both initial examination findings and permanent complications (p<0.001, p<0.025).

Bleach caused the most permanent damage. Adhesives and neutral substances were the most common

causative agents in the pediatric group, while bleach and acidic substances were the most common in adults

(p<0.001). Limbal ischemia was not detected in the pediatric group, and there was no difference in the

complication rate between the two groups (p=0.597). Vision loss and permanent damage affecting the ocular

surface were observed in 5 (1.05%) of the patients. We observed that patients may experience corneal

vascularization, leukoma, symblepharon, corneal stromal scarring, and trichiasis secondary to limbal ischemia

and other ocular surface problems.

Conclusion: In conclusion, chemical and thermal corneal burns are serious ophthalmic emergencies. It

should be noted that alkali burns lead to more severe outcomes and that early treatment is associated with

better prognosis. We believe early intervention and appropriate treatment are critical in promoting healing

of the ocular surface and preventing permanent vision loss.