ORCID

0009-0001-1844-6495 (Aggarwal)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.2147/OPTH.S624067

Publication Title

Clinical Ophthalmology

Volume

20

Pages

624067

Abstract

Purpose: Superabsorbent water beads can be used in projectile toy guns. We aimed to characterize water bead-related hyphema and compare the prevalence with other causes of traumatic hyphema.

Methods: In this 10-month retrospective review, we identified 35 consecutive patients with traumatic hyphema presenting to the emergency department. Cases were grouped by injury mechanism, water bead-related compared with all other causes. Clinical data on initial presentation and subsequent visits were compared.

Results: In the patients with traumatic hyphema, 8 (23%) cases were due to water bead trauma. Bead-related cases involved significantly younger patients (16 ± 9 years) compared with other cases (32 ± 21 years; p = 0.004). No statistically significant differences were found in peak intraocular pressure (p = 0.14) or need for surgical intervention (p = 0.3). The proportion of hyphema related to water bead injuries was higher in pediatric (42%) compared with adult patients (10%). The odds ratio of water-bead hyphema in pediatric compared with adult patients was 6.44 (95% CI:1.15-57.1; p = 0.021).

Conclusion: In this study, approximately a quarter of patients with traumatic hyphema during the study period were water bead-related, with approximately six-fold increased risk in younger patients. These findings suggest a need for public health awareness about water bead projectile injuries.

Rights

© 2026 The Authors.

The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, 4.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. 

Original Publication Citation

Aggarwal, A. I., Singh, P. K., Arias, D. E., & Netland, P. A. (2026). Hyphema associated with water bead projectile toys: A retrospective comparative study. Clinical Ophthalmology, 20, Article 624067. https://doi.org/10.2147/opth.S624067

Download

Share

COinS