At the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the predominant referral centre for serious ocular injury in South Australia, approximately 25 open globe injuries are encountered a year. Although the epidemiology of these injuries was found to be similar to those previously reported in Victoria and rural New South Wales, differences were thought to reflect to the ageing population of South Australia. Rupture of an old, healed large-incision cataract extraction wound was the commonest cause of ruptured globe. An effective preventive strategy to reduce the incidence of severe ocular trauma has yet to be implemented. The concept of a national population-based severe ocular trauma database is considered.

An illustrative case of septic superior ophthalmic vein thrombosis secondary to a staphylococcus orbital cellulitis is presented and correlated with autopsy findings. A literature review and discussion of the risks and benefits of anti-coagulation in this setting is outlined.

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