R M K Stewart, J M Durnian, M C Briggs

"Here’s egg in your eye": a prospective study of blunt ocular trauma resulting from thrown eggs
Emerg Med J 2006; 23: 756-758 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

johnnyc{at}vodafone.ie JOHN J CRONIN, et al.

On first reading the October edition of the EMJ, I questioned the value of publishing an article dealing with the unusual phenomenon of blunt ocular trauma from egg-throwing. However, the first patient that I saw the very next day in the emergency department had suffered this exact injury. The patient was a young male and presented one day after the assault. The egg was thrown by his "friend" while they were "messing around". The patient did not present the previous day as he felt it was a "trivial injury". However, he was complaining of considerable discomfort in the affected eye. The patient had reduced visual acuity (6/18). Examination showed subconjunctival haemorrhage and a corneal abrasion. The patient settled after appropriate treatment. This injury took place during the Halloween holiday period and involved a young male - two features typical of this type of case as mentioned in your article. Thankfully, this patient made a good recovery, but the article in the EMJ made me wary that this injury can have serious sequelae, and I am grateful to the EMJ for that. Yours Sincerely, Dr. John J Cronin