Variations in clinical manifestations and outcomes of penetrating ocular injuries with intraocular foreign bodies: a case series

Intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) are the most common emergency cases in ophthalmology causing severe visual impairment to blindness. We present nine male patients with IOFBs, aged 28-64 years old, which displayed a wide spectrum of findings. Based on IOFB location, four cases were intravitreal, two were intraretinal, two were intralenticular and one was intracorneal. The most common material was metal, from hammering projectiles (six patients). The injuries mainly occurred at workplace (five patients). All IOFBs were successfully extracted. Initial visual acuity (VA) ranged from light perception to 20/32; six patients had better final VA, up to 20/20. A wide range of ocular manifestations is associated with IOFBs. Removing retained IOFB procedure is dependent on location, nature, lens opacity and vitreoretinal involvement. Meticulous ocular examination and imaging modality are vital to identify the IOFB presence. Various visual outcomes depend on zone involvement, IOFB size and level of difficulties of surgery.