Traumatic hyphemas in children secondary to corporal punishment with a belt.

Abstract

To report the severity of ocular injury in seven children with traumatic hyphemas resulting from the accidental striking of the child in the face with a belt during the administration of corporal punishment. Observational case series. We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients (n = 7, aged 4 to 14 years) with traumatic hyphemas secondary to belt injuries evaluated by the senior author between 1989 to 2002 at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, a regional pediatric referral hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Anterior segment injuries ranged from small hyphemas with normal intraocular pressure and no vision loss to injuries with severe elevations of intraocular pressure and permanent, significant loss of vision. Ocular injury to a child can result from trauma inflicted with a belt by a parent or caretaker during corporal punishment and may result in permanent loss of vision.