The eye in child abuse.

Publication/Presentation Date

12-1-2022

Abstract

Child physical abuse may result in a range of injuries to the globe and surrounding tissues. These injuries have varying degrees of specificity for abuse, and no pattern of injury is unique to abuse. Easily overlooked eye injuries in non-ambulatory infants often portend more severe abuse and require careful evaluation for occult injury when they are unexplained. Retinal hemorrhages are most often a sign of significant trauma and the severity of the hemorrhages generally parallels the severity of neurological trauma. Ophthalmologists contribute important data that more easily distinguish medical disease from trauma, but caution is needed in differentiating accidental from inflicted trauma. This distinction requires careful consideration of the complete clinical data and occasionally on additional law enforcement or child welfare investigation.

Volume

38

Issue

12

First Page

2335

Last Page

2344

ISSN

1433-0350

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Pediatrics

PubMedID

35871261

Department(s)

Department of Pediatrics

Document Type

Article

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