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PurposeTo estimate the etiology and features of the eyes with rubeosis iridis among Korean patients.Materials and MethodsThis study is a retrospective review of 533 Korean patients with rubeosis iridis who visited an eye hospital in Seoul, Korea. We defined rubeosis iridis as visible blood vessels on the iris surface detected during a slit-lamp examination. All cases were reviewed for age at the time of diagnosis, medical history, the most likely cause of rubeosis iridis, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure.ResultsThe most commonly observed cause of rubeosis iridis was diabetic retinopathy (DR; n = 337, 63.2%), followed by retinal vein occlusion (RVO; n = 101, 18.9%), ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS; n = 24, 4.5%), retinal detachment (n = 17, 3.2%), and uveitis (n = 15, 2.8%). The cause was classified as miscellaneous in 18 cases (3.4%); in 21 eyes (3.9%), the cause was not clear. Age at the time of rubeosis iridis diagnosis was lower in patients with DR (56.5 years) than in those with RVO (61.0 years) and OIS (64.8 years; P < 0.01). Intraocular pressure of the eyes with DR (37.3 mmHg) and RVO (39.5 mmHg) was higher than that of the eyes with OIS (25.8 mmHg; P < 0.01).ConclusionIn our population-based single center study, DR was the leading cause of rubeosis iridis followed by RVO and OIS among Korean patients. The clinical characteristics of the eyes with rubeosis iridis differed according to etiology. This finding may be useful when assessing eyes with rubeosis iridis.

The purpose of this article is to report a case of an asymptomatic intralenticular metallic foreign body that was retained for 6 months. A 66-year-old male visited our ophthalmology department because of decreased visual acuity in his left eye 6 months after he suffered ocular trauma while mowing. He had not been treated because he did not experience any discomfort. His corrected visual acuity was 0.4. Central corneal opacity, an intralenticular metallic foreign body, and an intact posterior capsule were observed on slit lamp examination. Phacoemulsification with posterior chamber lens implantation and simultaneous removal of the intralenticular foreign body was performed. Seventeen days after the operation, his corrected visual acuity was 1.0, the intraocular lens was well-seated, and there was no intraocular inflammation. In this case report, a patient was found to have an intralenticular metallic foreign body retained for 6 months. During this time he did not experience any ocular dysfunction due to the foreign body. Mowing accidents are common in Korea. Despite the absence of symptoms, patients reporting a history of lawn mowing should be thoroughly examined.