A case of retinal detachment resulting from air bag deployment

ABSTRACT A motor vehicle accident (MVA) can result in death or serious injury to the driver and passengers in case the airbags are not deployed. There are, however, several reasons why an airbag can injure a passenger even when there is no accident involved. A 41-year-old female patient who suffered facial bone fractures and an retinal perforation after her air bag deflated during a minor car accident. The complaints of the patient on admission to the emergency department (ED) were facial pain, swelling and redness in the eye. Orbital CT imaging revealed fragmented fracture line displaced into the maxillary sinus at the floor of right orbit, posttraumatic changes in preorbital skin and In the right globe vitreous, an appearance thought to belong to hyperdense hemorrhage. The patient was taken to emergency operation due to corneal perforation in the right eye. All patients who present with air bag-related ocular trauma should undergo a complete ophthalmologic examination because ocular injuries that may be more serious than they initially appear.