Complex Ocular Injury Following Blunt Trauma in a Professional Adult Male Soccer Player: A Case Report

This case describes an 18-year-old British male professional soccer player who suffered a high-velocity traumatic eye injury when a football struck him in the right eye. He suffered immediate vision loss and pain. The eye trauma resulted in pupil damage, lens structural damage, retinal tears, a macular hole, and extensive retina commotio. Despite being a seemingly innocuous training accident, he developed a complex monocular trauma. He underwent emergency surgery that successfully closed the macular hole and prevented retinal detachment. Visual recovery in the right eye was not perfect; however, the player was able to make a full return to training within six weeks and play competitive football within eight weeks. This exemplifies a rare case in which a routine, everyday training ground event resulted in a highly complex ocular injury. Our case highlights that rapid assessment and intervention can prevent life-changing long-term effects on an athlete's health, performance, and career, even in sports deemed to pose a relatively low risk of ocular injury, such as soccer.