Clinical Outcomes of Elastomer Band-related Ocular Injuries

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical features and visual outcomes of patients with ocular trauma caused by elastomer bands, using standardized trauma classification and prognostic scoring systems.
Methods: This retrospective study included 40 eyes of 39 patients who experienced ocular trauma associated with elastomer band and visited Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, a tertiary ophthalmic referral center, between June 2003 and March 2023. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, type of injury, and visual outcomes. The mechanism of trauma was classified according to the Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology (BETT), and injury severity was assessed using the Ocular Trauma Score (OTS). Final visual acuity was compared with OTS-based prognostic categories.
Results: Contusion was the most frequent injury type based on the BETT classification, observed in 34 eyes (85.0%). The overall severity of trauma was mild to moderate; only one case involved globe rupture. Intraocular lens subluxation or dislocation was observed in six eyes (15.0%), suggesting potential damage to ciliary zonule. Across the cohort, mean visual acuity improved significantly from baseline to final follow-up (0.73 ± 0.84 to 0.33 ± 0.50 logMAR, p < 0.001). Based on the OTS, 52.5% of eyes were classified as category 5, and 92.5% were category 3 or higher, indicating an overall favorable prognosis. Final visual acuity outcomes were consistent with OTS-based predictions. Notably, 29 of 40 eyes (72.5%) achieved a final visual acuity ≥20/40, corresponding to logMAR ≤0.30. The distribution of visual outcomes across OTS grades showed no significant deviation from the original OTS study.
Conclusions: Although elastomer bands are common household items, they pose a potential risk for ocular injury, including damage to intraocular structures. Most cases resulted in contusion trauma with good visual prognosis.