WAILEA, Hawaii — In patients with traumatic periorbital and orbital injuries, airway, breathing and circulation – the ABCs – need to be addressed first, before addressing ocular trauma.
Particularly in an emergency room setting, patients with severe ocular injury often have airway compromise due to nasal and neck injuries, midfacial collapse, and oral or nasopharyngeal bleeding. Neurologic deficits and lacerations that affect breathing and circulation are also common in trauma cases, and all need to be “managed right away before addressing soft-tissue injuries or bony