This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Capó-Aponte JE, Jurek GM,...

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Capó-Aponte JE, Jurek GM, Walsh DV, Temme LA, Ahroon WA, Riggs DW. Effects of repetitive low-level blast exposure on visual systems and ocular structures. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2015;52(3):XX–XX.http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2014.09.0204

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2014.09.0204JSP

Effects of repetitive low-level blast exposure on visual systems and ocular

structures

José E. Capó-Aponte, OD, PhD; Gina M. Jurek;David V. Walsh, OD, PhD; Leonard A. Temme, PhD;

William A. Ahroon, PhD; Daniel W. Riggs, MS



• Aim– Determine whether repetitive exposure to low-level blasts

during military breacher training produces acute and cumulative damage to the ocular tissues or visual system.

• Relevance– Current knowledge regarding the effects of blast on the

human visual system is based on retrospective clinical case descriptions potentially confounded by secondary or tertiary injury mechanisms.



Method• Using a battery of standard clinical ophthalmic tests administered 10 times over

2-year period on 9 male breacher instructures (Cadre) and four male breacher engineers (Control), we assessed effects of low-level blast exposure on:– High-contrast visual acuity.– Contrast sensitivity.– Oculomotor function.– Color vision.– Visual field (VF).– Pupillary light reflex.– Corneal endothelial cell density (ECD).– Macular thickness.– Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.– Cup-to-disc ratio.



Results• Cadre group showed higher vertical deviation at

near than Control group over time.• VF mean deviation on left eye tended to be worse

in Cadre group throughout the study, suggesting a decrease in VF sensitivity.

• Cadre group had reduced ECD.



Conclusion

• Results suggest that even low-level primary blast has the potential to produce occult eye injury.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Capó-Aponte JE, Jurek GM,...

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