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'The pain was unbearable': Dubai resident fractures face after fall from bunk bed; suffers blood-filled eye, blurring vision

He underwent a complex surgery following the horrific incident that left him with multiple bone fractures, and the inability to consume anything but liquids

Published: Thu 23 Feb 2023, 12:02 PM

Updated: Thu 23 Feb 2023, 2:38 PM

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A 30-year-old biomedical technician from Mauritius, Abdellahi Boye, was on top of his bunk bed, speaking to his friends on the phone when a horrific accident occurred – he accidentally fell from the top, crashing his face against a wooden table.

Writhing in pain, Boye rolled around on the floor before he was able to get up. The pain was excruciating, he says; a quick glance in the mirror revealed he had severely injured his face and eyes. Still, Boye says it did not occur to him that he had fractured the bones in his face and had even damaged his left eye. He did not go to a hospital, and decided instead to stay at home.

“The pain was unbearable. I cursed myself for my carelessness; I could not even touch the injured side of my face. I felt like some heavy object crushed the side of my face. The injured area had swollen, and there was blood in [my] eye. I thought the swelling was due to [a] contusion, and resting for two days would help,” said Boye.

"I was frightened to go to a hospital," he added. "I know my condition was bad. It was becoming worse with each passing day. I could not even open my mouth. For the next three days, I was only on liquids – even that was becoming difficult for me. I could not bear the pain any [longer]. My vision started to blur, and I started getting a severe headache. Seeing my condition worsening, my friends took me to the hospital."

Facial fractures, damage to the eye

Abdellahi’s friends took him to Aster Hospital, Mankhool, where Dr Renju Prem, a specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery, attended to him.

Seeing the injuries on his face, Dr Renju ordered a CT scan, which revealed Boye had suffered multiple fractures on the left maxillofacial region of his face, combined with a fracture of the orbit of the left eye.

According to radiological investigations, there were multiple bone fractures in the left zygomaticomaxillary region and the orbital floor, along with nerve entrapment.

“The damage to the nerve may have resulted in the blurring of vision/double vision, which would be challenging to correct if there is a delay in treatment. There were chances that he would have later developed masticatory issues with limited mouth opening due to multiple fractures. It called for a multidisciplinary approach.

There were comminuted fractures, and only surgery could restore the correct facial form and function. The fracture of the orbital floor was managed by reconstructing it with titanium mesh to restore the orbital volume and function under Dr Vikram Mohindra, specialist ophthalmology at Aster Hospital, Mankhool," said Dr Renju.

Boye was discharged on day two post the surgery. "I am thankful to the medical team at Aster Hospital, Mankhool. They guided me throughout the recovery journey. I never realised that I had met with such a severe accident and feared the accident would lead to any facial distortions or injury to my eye,” Boye said.

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