When the eye is hit by a projectile, the pressure within the eye skyrockets. The impact, disruption of the eye’s normal shape, and sudden increase in pressure can tear the tissues inside the eye which causes bleeding into the globe of the eye. This is called a hyphema.

As blood leaks into the eyeball, it gets in between the light entering the eyes, and the nerve cells in the back of the eye responsible for vision. This decreases one’s vision. In most cases, the eye will slowly reabsorb the blood cells after the bleeding has stopped. However, in some cases surgery may be necessary to stop the bleeding, and prevent permanent damage and blindness from high eye pressure.

In a recent research study that reviewed over a 100 children admitted to a single hospital with bleeding in an eye, it was found that over 90% of these injuries happened at home, and about 80% of the cases were in boys. Playing, followed by projectiles from paintball, pellet and ball bearing guns, and sports were the primary causes of the eye injury. Most of these cases resolved on their own with near normal vision coming back, although some children with sickle cell disease were at risk for re-bleeding.

Whenever children are playing, and especially if they are using any kind of toy that fires projectiles, it’s essential they wear eye protection. Educating children in creative ways, such as:

• pictures and videos of eye injury
• having a child read about eye injury and then explain it to friends or at school
• asking a nearby medical school if children can come and see an eye that is being studied
• finding eye protection that is fun

Eyes are also injured in pedestrian, bicycle and auto accident. If your child’s eyes were injured in an accident contact us.