Airbag-Associated Ocular Injury and Periorbital Fractures

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Abstract
Airbags have gained increasing acceptance as devices that reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with motor-vehicle accidents. To date, three cases of airbag-associated ocular injury, including injury directly attributable to the airbag, have been reported. These injuries range from facial and corneal abrasions1 to hyphemas and intraocular hemorrhages.2,3 We describe a patient who sustained severe ocular injuries, including periorbital fractures, retinal tears, and lens subluxation, directly related to an inflated airbag. Report of a Case. —A 64-year-old woman wearing a three-point lap-shoulder belt and driving a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis at 45 mph veered onto the right shoulder of a highway and struck a guard rail. The driver's-side airbag inflated during the accident; there was no passenger's-side airbag. Car damage was limited to the bumper and bumper guard on the right. The patient sustained facial abrasions on the right side and a right—lower-lid laceration, while the belted passenger

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