CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND ETIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN OCULAR CHEMICAL AND THERMAL BURNS

Objective: To evaluate the clinical findings of patients admitted to the emergency department due to thermal and chemical ocular burns and to investigate the etiological causes. Material and Methods: Four hundred seventy-four (9.8%) chemical and thermal ocular burn cases presented to the emergency department of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine between 2019 and 2024 were evaluated. Patients' age, gender, exposure, initial examination findings, and post-treatment permanent damage status were evaluated. Results: Of the 474 patients included in the study, 82.1% were adults and 17.9% were pediatric. Corneal burns were most commonly observed in the pediatric group due to adhesives, while in the adult group, bleach (sodium hypochlorite) was the most common cause of corneal burns. Bleach, adhesives, and thermal burns were observed to be the most common causes of initial examination damage, while bleach was the most common cause of permanent damage complications. Significant differences were found between the causative agents in terms of both initial examination findings and permanent complications (p<0.001, p<0.025). Bleach caused the most permanent damage. Adhesives and neutral substances were the most common causative agents in the pediatric group, while bleach and acidic substances were the most common in adults (p<0.001). Limbal ischemia was not detected in the pediatric group, and there was no difference in the complication rate between the two groups (p=0.597). Vision loss and permanent damage affecting the ocular surface were observed in 5 (1.05%) of the patients. We observed that patients may experience corneal vascularization, leukoma, symblepharon, corneal stromal scarring, and trichiasis secondary to limbal ischemia and other ocular surface problems. Conclusion: In conclusion, chemical and thermal corneal burns are serious ophthalmic emergencies. It should be noted that alkali burns lead to more severe outcomes and that early treatment is associated with better prognosis. We believe early intervention and appropriate treatment are critical in promoting healing of the ocular surface and preventing permanent vision loss.