Indirect traumatic optic neuropathy complicated with periorbital facial bone fracture

This study evaluated the outcome for 45 consecutive, nonrandomized patients whose indirect type traumatic optic neuropathy and periorbital facial bone fracture were treated at the Chang Gong Memorial Hospital in Kaohsiung between June of 1996 and June of 2001. There were a total of 48 eye injuries in 45 patients (3 patients sustained bilateral eye injuries). Data related to megadose steroid treatment, timing of open reduction and internal fixation for periorbital facial fractures, and pretreatment and post-treatment of visual acuities were collected from the medical records. Measurements of visual improvement in terms of degree and percentage were calculated after the visual acuities were converted into the log of the minimum angle of resolution units. Visual acuities were significantly improved according to mechanism of injury, gender, or associated periorbital skin laceration wound. However, no light perception for eight patients at initial presentation and gradually deteriorating vision in four injured eyes of three patients were identified as poor prognostic factors. Therefore, repeated visual measurements are recommended to detect any gradually deteriorating vision, which although uncommon, has a poor prognosis. No significantly improved vision was found after treatment with megadose steroids. However, if improvement in vision did occur, treatment with megadose steroids resulted in a much greater visual improvement in terms of degree (p = 0.001) and percentage (p = 0.02). Thus treatment with megadose steroid is recommended. No significant differences were found in the visual improvement between those who received and those who did not receive periorbital open reduction and internal fixation operations, and between those who received early repair within 48 hours and those who received late repair after more than 48 hours. However, it seems medicolegally prudent to delay the procedure because some patients may experience gradually deteriorating vision, which has a poor prognosis, and because postoperative visual loss after facial fracture repair did happen.