Operational Medicine 2001
Foreign Bodies in the Cornea and Conjunctiva

Definition:  Metallic, or organic material under the upper or lower lid

Signs/Symptoms:  

• Foreign body sensation

• Tearing

• Foreign body in eye with and without a rust ring

• Conjunctival injection

• Mild upper lid edema.

Causes:  metallic material blown in the eye from drilling, or grinding metal.  Patient generally not wearing safety glasses at time of injury. 

Differential diagnosis:  trauma,

Evaluation: 

• Visual acuity

• History of injury.  

  • Determine if injury occurred secondary to metal striking metal (might indicate an intraocular foreign body)

• Document visual acuity.  

  • May need to instill ocular anesthetic to perform test. 

• Observe for foreign object on cornea and on conjunctiva.  

• Evert the lids to look for foreign body.  

  • Fluorescein may expedite this process, as it pools around foreign objects

• If intraocular foreign body is suspected then medvac as soon as possible 

Treatment:

• Apply topical anesthetic to the cornea (proparacaine). 

• Remove corneal foreign body with a moistened cotton tipped applicator if possible.  

• If this does not eliminate the foreign body then a foreign body spud or 25 gauge needle can be used with caution. 

• Rust rings that are deep or a rust ring that spares the central cornea may be left alone. 

• Treat as corneal abrasion. 

Prognosis:

If simple foreign body of the cornea then healing should occur within 24-48 hours with conservative therapy.   

If an intraocular foreign body is present the prognosis becomes graver from time of injury to time of treatment.   Intraocular foreign bodies need to be transported to a facility where there is a retinal specialist

This section provided by CAPT Robert B. North, Jr., MC, USN

Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited.

The listing of any non-Federal product in this CD is not an endorsement of the product itself, but simply an acknowledgement of the source. 

Operational Medicine 2001
Health Care in Military Settings

Home  ·  Military Medicine  ·  Sick Call  ·  Basic Exams  ·  Medical Procedures  ·  Lab and X-ray  ·  The Pharmacy  ·  The Library  ·  Equipment  ·  Patient Transport  ·  Medical Force Protection  ·  Operational Safety  ·  Operational Settings  ·  Special Operations  ·  Humanitarian Missions  ·  Instructions/Orders  ·  Other Agencies  ·  Video Gallery  ·  Phone Consultation  ·  Forms  ·  Web Links  ·  Acknowledgements  ·  Help  ·  Feedback

*This web version is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMED P-5139, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.

Contact Us  ·  ·  Other Brookside Products