To determine the prognostic factors of visual outcome in open globe injury and to assess the possibility of an ocular trauma score (OTS) model of predictive value in open globe injuries in Koreans.

The medical records of 242 patients with open globe injury from 2000 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Prognostic factors of visual outcome, positive predictive rate, and negative predictive rate were surveyed.

In the multivariate analysis, old age, relative afferent pupillary defect, impaired initial visual acuity and retinal detachment were the worst predictive factors of vision survival. In OTS categories 1 and 2, worse final visual acuity was acquired, and positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate for assessment of final visual acuity less than 0.02 were 70.1% and 89.8%, respectively.

The prognostic factors of open globe injury associated with impaired final visual acuity were old age, relative afferent pupillary defect, worse initial visual acuity, retinal detachment and OTS categories 1 and 2. The OTS may have prognostic value in open globe injuries in Korean patients. However, identified prognostic factors of the present study did not entirely coincide with those of other Koreans or previous studies. Therefore, additional studies on the modified open globe injury as a prognostic model in Korean patients are needed.