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Removing a metal foreign body from the cornea (Video)

length: 1:03 minutes

This video shows the removal of metal particle from the surface of the eye using a needle. Metal particles can occur from metal grinding and machine work … the metallic flakes have a tendency to get into hair then fall onto the cornea and stick. This quickly rusts and if not removed soon, can cause extreme pain, infection, and recurrent corneal erosions.

There are many ways to remove foreign bodies like this, though I prefer to use a blunt 18-guage needle. Before any removal you must determine several things:

a. How deep is the body. You don’t want to create a corneal perforation when you take it out!
b. Is there an infiltrate around it? Metal tends to be sterile, but if infected, may require more aggressive antibiotic coverage.
c. How much rust is there? If possible, you want to remove rust rings. However, you can cause more damage if you are overaggressive. Rust will eventually work it’s way to the surface, though the area can develop recurrent erosions.

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fbincornea.wmv (3.0 meg, Windows video file)
fbincornea.mov (Quicktime format coming soon)

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Comments and Feedback
16 Comments »

looks crazy i have a peace in my eye i went to the er and they said i have to go to a eye doctor havent went yet still drives me crazy but that what happens when you dont have health ins hope 2 get it out b-4 i do major dammage…..

Comment by randy — June 9, 2008 @ 3:39 pm

Randy,
I recommend seeing an eye doctor as soon as possible. In your case, you may want to find an ophthalmologist (M.D.) so they can prescribe you antibiotics if needed.

Comment by admin — June 9, 2008 @ 7:57 pm

i wonder if my pal can do it 4 me. what do u think? thanks 4 the help

Comment by randy — June 10, 2008 @ 1:29 pm

I normally don’t give medical advice in this form, but I can absolutely say this:

Do NOT have your friend remove this metal. You need to see an ophthalmologist who can do this under the microscope and judge how deep the material is embeded. The cornea is very thin and you do NOT want to perforate your cornea with a needle. See an eye doctor right away. Today would be best … this is not something you want to wait on! If you really have a piece of metal in the eye, it is already rusting and likely developing a bacterial infiltrate. The sooner you see an eye doctor, the better your long-term visual prognosis.

Comment by admin — June 10, 2008 @ 6:27 pm

how much does something like this cost do u know thanks 4 ur input it helped

Comment by randy — June 11, 2008 @ 5:51 pm

You can go to an optometrist (Doctor of Optometry) too. They can remove the metal and prescribe antiobiotics as well as the ophthalmologist.

Comment by Jan — December 8, 2008 @ 12:29 pm

I had this done last night. It feels a LOT better already. I don’t have that “sand in the eye” feeling anymore. Still really sensitive to light, and feels like the eye is being squeezed really tight. But it DOES feel better. If you have a rust ring……..get it taken care of! That’s my advice!

Roger

Comment by Roger — December 16, 2008 @ 9:39 am

My husband found out he has a mental in his eye today. I think he had it from last Friday. The doctor sent him to an ophthalmologist to get it out. Will he be able to drive right after its been taken out? How much does it normally cost?

Comment by Jhenny — February 26, 2009 @ 9:43 pm

I just had a piece of metal that was buried deep into my cornia taken out yesterday morning. By early this evening, the bandages came off and I felt 100% better. The opthmalogist / surgeon said that I have a small rust ring that will probably be pushed out as a foreign body and a small crater that doesn’t appear to be visible with the naked eye. For the time being, he prescribed an antibiotic drop (tobra-dex) to use 4x a day for 2 weeks. I was able to drive right after the procedure but would not advise it until the bandage comes off because it’s like driving with one eye closed.

Comment by Mike — August 19, 2009 @ 12:09 am

how long before you would notice a piece of metal in your eye?
would it immediately or 3 weeks later?

Comment by tina — June 18, 2010 @ 12:46 pm

[…] The video recommends using either a 30-gauge or 18-gauge needle. I prefer the less innocuous-looking 29-gauge insulin/TB needle. Can you imagine someone coming towards your eye with a large 18-gauge needle?! Go to video link. […]

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my mom is an eye doctor and she always tell me to never squint my eyes and watch too much dvd movie*”.

Comment by Electric Switch : — October 27, 2010 @ 5:01 pm

Hi my husband had a foreign object removed with a needle and the local dr has put a hole in the cornea How dangerous is this as we are 700km from any hospital my husband also has a history of eye problems he has had previouse ops on this eye The dr here was very caring and I am sure has done
everything she thinks is right
Worried

Comment by Trsh Elmy — April 18, 2011 @ 3:03 am

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I’m going through the same thing. Just had a Dr take some metal put, left a ring. Still hurts like hell and my vision isnt much better. Going back in a few days, hope it clears up!

Comment by chad — November 21, 2011 @ 3:58 pm

Had and still have the same problem,from cutting with a circular saw.
Had protection goggles,but I looked under them for a few seconds,and then it happen.

At first you don’t feel any kind of pain at all,just a little itchy.

My advice will be to let the tool down,try not to blink to many times,DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYE WITH YOUR HANDS,do not try to remove it yourself,go directly to an eye doctor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

If you can’t go to an eye doctor right away[like I couldn’t]just try not to scratch your eye,and again : DON’T TRY TO REMOVE IT YOURSELF !
It will only get worse,and the foreign body will only get in deeper,causing worse problems.

In case someone is scared about the procedure,believe me,you don’t feel any kind of pain.
The only thing you “feel” is your eye kinda “moving”.
I will say that its not a pleasant experience at all.
You may feel sick,and just…scared I guess ?
The second time I felt a bit of pain,and was even more scared than the first time.

From my own experience,I had the foreign body removed after 3 days.
At first I didn’t knew it was such a big deal.
The eye doctor managed to take the metal thing out of my eye,and managed to remove some rust,but “forgot” to mention that I still had some rust inside.
Tho she said I should go back for a checkup in 2 days [I went the next day]

I haven’t seen my eye since I first went to the doctor,so I have no idea if I have that rust ring on it or not.

She prescribed me some eye drops and somekind of cream.
I still have to keep the bandage on for another 2 days [makes a total of 4 days]

I feel dizzy sometimes,my head hurts and I have some depth perception problems [of course I didn’t had any of those problems when I used my both eyes].

At the moment,I still have some rust in my eye,but the eye doctor said i should be fine and that I shouldn’t go back for another control.
However,if it still hurts after a few days,I should go directly to see her or any other eye doctor.

I have no idea about the costs of this procedure.
I had it made for free [taxes from my income covers any kind of medical problems that are taken care by my local hospital]

Hope nobody had any permanent damages from this problem.

Comment by Flo — December 18, 2011 @ 7:22 am

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