Ophthalmological evaluation of facial burns in a regional burns centre

Ocular burns are ophthalmological emergencies, owing to their potentially serious visual complications. Prompt recognition, irrigation and comprehensive examination including fluorescein staining is recommended to optimise outcomes. Burns standards recommend ophthalmological services be available in a 'timely' manner. This paper is a retrospective review of facial burn admissions between November 2017 and November 2018 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), a regional burns centre in the United Kingdom. This study aims to assess referral rates to ophthalmology, timeliness of review and the proportion of patients reviewed within a 24 h window. From the data available we also aim to determine the frequency of fluorescein examination. Of 88 patients admitted with facial burns, data was available for 80 patients. The majority (n = 77, 87.6%) suffered thermal burns. Twenty-two (27.5%) patients were referred to ophthalmology, and 18 (22.5%) had a documented review. Mean time from admission to review was 45.0 h, with 10 (52.6%) patients being seen within 24 h. Of 80 patients, 50 (62.5%) patients had no documented fluorescein examination. Further prospective studies are necessary to inform clinical guidelines and optimise management of facial burns.