Clinical Outcomes and Etiological Factors in Ocular Chemical and Thermal Burns

Objective: To evaluate the clinical findings of patients admitted to the emergency department due to thermal and chemical ocular burns and to investigate the etiological causes. Materials and Methods: The examination findings of 4,821 patients who were referred for ophthalmologic consultation to the emergency department of xxx Faculty of Medicine between 2019 and 2024 were evaluated. Among these, 474 (9.8%) were identified as cases of chemical and thermal corneal burns. Patients' age, gender, causative agents, initial examination findings, and the presence of permanent damage after treatment were assessed. Examination findings were classified according to the Roper-Hall classification. Results: Of the 474 patients included in the study, 82.1% were adults and 17.9% were pediatric. The male-to-female ratio was 58.4% to 41.6%, respectively. In the pediatric group, the most common cause of corneal burns was adhesives, whereas in adults, the leading cause was bleach (sodium hypochlorite, NaClO). Bleach, adhesives, and thermal agents were the most common causes of initial damage, while bleach was found to be the leading agent in causing permanent complications. Limbal ischemia due to chemical burns was observed in 14 (2.9%) patients. There was a statistically significant difference between causative agents in terms of both initial clinical findings and permanent complications (p