Clinical Patterns and Management Modalities in Traumatic Hyphema Among Patients Attending Nangarhar University Teaching Hospital, Afghanistan

Hyphema is defined as the presence of blood in the anterior chamber of the eye. It is most commonly caused by ocular damage. Hyphema can cause pain, blurred vision, and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), all of which can lead to serious problems if not treated properly. The goal of this study was to look into clinical patterns and treatment modalities for patients with traumatic hyphema. This retrospective study was conducted at Nangarhar University Teaching Hospital, focusing on patients who presented with traumatic hyphema between January 2023 and April 2024. The study included 73 participants with mean± SD (12.98±10.2) age years. The majority were men (60.3%, n=44), and women accounting for 39.7% (n=29). The age distribution revealed that the largest age group was children aged 6-10 years, accounting for 38.4% (n=28) of the sample population. In terms of residency, Nangarhar province accounted for the most of participants (47.9%, n=35). According to the types of ocular damage, blunt trauma was the most common, affecting 41.1% (n=30) of participants. Compared to the left eye, the right eye was more commonly affected. The vast majority of the cases—57.5%, had intraocular pressures that were within the normal range. Of the 73 patients, 31 with high IOP received a variety of treatments, including medication and operations such cataract extraction and trabeculectomy, while 42 with a normal IOP were treated medically. The study found that young males often have hyphemia due to blunt trauma, emphasizing the need for preventive measures. Nearly half of the patients had high intraocular pressure, requiring individualized treatment.