Syed Muhammed Aijaz Ali, Salahudin Arbi, Saeed Akhtar Malik.
Trauma of the eyes in medico legal cases presented at a tertiary care hospital.
J Sheikh Zayed Med Coll Jan ;02(04):239-42.

Background: Ophthalmaic injuries in medicolegal cases in rarely studied and reported. These case are usually encountered in medicolegal practices. Objectives: The aim of the study was to elaborate the ophthalmic medicolegal cases presented in Sh. Zayed Medical College / Hospital, Rahim yar khan, with emphasis on the incidence, type of assault / weapon used and to determine the types of wounds according to Qisas and Diyat ordinance Pakistan. Design: Descriptive study. Place and duration of Study: Total 120 cases were included who were presented in three years (from Aug.2008 to Aug.2011) in Emergency Department of SZMC Rahim yar khan. Out of which 110, cases were referred to Department of Ophthalmology Sh. Zayed Hospital Rahim yar khan by Causality Medical Officers, and 10 patients (12.5%) were re-examined by constituting Medical Board by the order of the courts for expert opinion. Material and Methods: 120 cases of ophthalmic injuries presented for medico legal opinion in Sh. Zayed Medical College / Hospital, Rahim yar khan, during this period. These were grouped according to age, sex, weapons of infliction, mode, and the gravity of vision loss, which was classified according to; total loss of vision or percentage of vision lost. Nature of loss of vision whether reversible on treatment or not was determined. Types of wounds according to Qasis and Diyit Ordinance were also determined. Help of X-Rays, CT-Scan and Ultrasound (B-Scan) was taken where required. Results: Out of 120 persons, only 12 were female (10%) and remaining (90 %) were male. The age group most commonly involved was 21- 40 years (54.1 %), 06 patients (05%) had self inflicted type of injury around the eye. Blunt weapons / assault (60%) were the predominant mode of infliction. Injuries have been categorized according to Qisas & Diyat Ordinance; Shajjah-e Khafifah were 72 (60 %), Shajjah-e-Mudihah were 24 (20 %), patients with corneal ulcer / abrasion leading to permanent scar were 20 (16.7 %) and they were categorized as Itlaf-e-Salahiet-Udw. Those patients who were undergone surgical intervention and had lost their both eye balls were categorized as Itlaf-e-Udw and were only 04 (3.3%). Conclusion: In our study, only two patients gave proper subjective vision, other patients were malingering for their vision loss, so objective method of vision assessment must be applied. Self inflicted type of injury around the eye to get benefit must be kept in mind that was not vision depriving, only type of wound was modified. Eye Surgeons and the medico legal officers should be very vigilant to make Medico legal reports.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com