Ocular trauma by kinetic impact projectiles during civil unrest in Chile.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The use of kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs) for crowd-control has increased worldwide. Despite having been created as non-lethal weapons, significant damage to several organs, including the eye, has been reported. In this study, we investigated cases of ocular trauma from KIPs during the civil unrest in Chile. To our knowledge, this is the largest case series recorded in international literature.

Methods

We included all patients who sought care or were referred to the Eye Trauma Unit, a national referral centre in Santiago, Chile, during the civil unrest from October 18 to November 30, 2019. We reviewed paper medical records and extracted data on suspected cause of trauma, type of trauma, visual acuity and sociodemographic data.

Results

We included 259 pat

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7443815 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature