BACKGROUND: Head injuries are one of the most common causes of disability and death in adults. Head injury may or may not include injury to the brain. Often the term brain injury is used synonymously with head injury, which may not be associated with neurologic deficits. Head trauma is often associated with ocular injuries, because of its anatomical proximity and its connections with the brain. Ocular trauma is an important, preventable, worldwide public health problem. Hence the aim of this study is to investiagte the incidence of ophthalmological manifestations in head injuries, to study the importance of assessing ocular findings in diagnosing the severity of head injuries, to correlate injuries with survival and outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study, done with 130 patients who attended the department of emergency medicine and General surgery with a head injury and were screened for ophthalmic manifestations at SRM Hospital. RESULTS: The difference between ocular manifestations and GCS were statistically significant. (P value <0.001). The differences between ocular manifestations and mortality were statistically significant. (P value <0.001). The differences between Neuro-ophthalmic disease and GCS were statistically significant. (P value 0.002). The differences between neuro-ophthalmic disease and mortality was statistically significant. (P value <0.001). CONCLUSION: Most of the patients who had neurological complication had some ocular manifestation, but not all patients with ophthalmic features necessarily were associated with TBI. All patients with poor mortality and outcome had a significant neuro-ophthalmic presentation. The correlation was both clinically and statistically significant.

Ocular manifestations, head injury.