Aim: To study the epidemiology of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma in the UK, determining the incidence and causes of ocular injuries, and their association with facial fractures. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the Trauma Audit Research Network database from 1989 to 2004, looking at data from 39 073 patients with major trauma. Results: Of the 39 073 patients with major trauma, 905 (2.3%) patients had associated ocular injuries and 4082 (10.4%) patients had a facial fracture (zygoma, orbit or maxilla). The risk of an eye injury for a patient with a facial fracture is 6.7 times as that for a patient with no facial fracture (95%, confidence interval 5.9 to 7.6). Of the patients with major trauma and an eye injury, 75.1% were men, and the median age was 31 years. 57.3% of ocular injuries were due to road traffic accidents (RTAs). Conclusion: The incidence of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma is low, but considerable association was found between eye injuries and facial fractures. Young adults have the highest incidence of ocular injury. RTAs are the leading cause of ocular injuries in patients with major trauma. It is vital that all patients with major trauma are examined specifically for an ocular injury.

Aim: To study the incidence of endophthalmitis following cataract surgery over a 10 year period, and to examine ways in which this may be related to changes in surgical technique. Methods: All cases of endophthalmitis occurring over a 10 year period within a single ophthalmic unit in the United Kingdom were reviewed, and possible risk factors identified. Results: During the study period, as the technique of extracapsular cataract surgery was replaced by phacoemulsification, there was a commensurate reduction in the incidence of endophthalmitis. Injectable IOLs were associated with the lowest risk of postoperative endophthalmitis (0.028%). Conclusions: Injectable intraocular lenses do not make contact with the ocular surface and this may result in the observed lower rate of endophthalmitis. This, and the ease with which they can be inserted through small incisions, support their use as the first line method of lens insertion.

This research contributes to the expanding body of evidence implicating illicit fentanyl use (often combined with heroin or other substances) in overdose deaths in BC. Policy makers and healthcare providers are urged to implement drug treatment and harm reduction strategies for people at risk of overdose associated with current trends in illicit opioid use.

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