Thursday, April 14, 2011

Do They Feel Remorse?


I may have mentioned it before, but I will say it again: The majority of the things we eye doctors see on call (particularly at the local level one trauma/tertiary referral center) are the result of traumatic injury. Motor vehicle accidents and fist fights are the big players.

Obviously, a car accident is not always avoidable and there may not ever be one person to blame. But what about the fighting? We get called about several orbital fractures every single week, and a significant portion of them are related to fights.

These fights are frequently amongst acquaintances, though not always. More than once I have seen a patient who got out of hand at the bar/club and was (supposedly) punched by a bouncer. Clearly the validity of the stories is often in question, but I can't claim to be a witness to any of these events.

You already know the biggest question I have - it's in the title. Does the assailant care that they've very possibly sent someone (innocent or not) to the operating room? What about when the eye itself is severely injured and possibly blinded? They may not ever know.

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