Giant retinal tears resulting from eye gouging in rugby football

Abstract

A 29 year old myopic man sustained two separate giant retinal tears in his right eye following deliberate eye gouging during a rugby tackle. These were successfully repaired by vitrectomy and intraocular silicone oil injection. Although the postoperative course was complicated by pupil block glaucoma, he regained corrected visual acuity of 6/5 after oil removal. This injury highlights the potentially sight threatening nature of this type of rugby injury and the importance of early referral for specialist treatment.