Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
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Ophthalmologists are commonly asked to interpret appearance of retinal hemorrhages (RH) in children with suspected traumatic head injury. We sought to determine the natural history of RH in young children with head trauma and to identify patterns suggestive of chronicity in order to help establish timing of suspected traumatic injury. ⋯ IRH clears rapidly, whereas PRH may persist for many weeks. The presence of TNTC IRHs indicates that trauma occurred within a few days prior to examination, whereas the presence of PRH with no or few IRHs suggests days to weeks since trauma. To accurately identify these patterns, eye examinations should be completed as soon as possible after admission, preferably within 24-48 hours.