Intraocular eyelashes and iris cyst in anterior chamber following penetrating eye injury: a case report

Abstract

BackgroundThe presence of intraocular eyelashes following penetrating eye injury or ocular surgery is relatively uncommon. The response of the eye to intraocular eyelashes is variable. The eyelash may be symptomatic or may remain asymptomatic for long periods.ObjectiveWe report a case with two intraocular eyelashes and an iris cyst after 2 years of asymptomatic period following penetrating eye injury.Case presentationA 24-year-old male presented with decreased vision in the left eye which he had noticed for the previous 2 weeks. His visual acuity was 6/6 in the right eye and 6/18 in the left eye, improving to 6/9 with -2.5 DC × 140° correction. The intraocular pressure was 12 mmHg in both eyes. On slit-lamp examination, the left eye showed 8 mm linear peripheral corneal opacity nasally, two eyelashes in the superior anterior chamber, and an iris cyst measuring 4 mm × 4 mm in the superior iris. The right eye was normal. Dilated fundus examination of both eyes was normal. The eyelashes and cyst were removed surgically. There were no complications during the 3-month follow-up period.ConclusionIntraocular implantation of eyelashes following penetrating eye injury can remain asymptomatic for long periods; however, late development of iris cyst may occur.

Incidental rare intraocular foreign body discovered after penetrating injury 30 years ago

“…Intraocular eyelashes are associated with variable presentations, from asymptomatic to endophthalmitis and retinal detachment. [ 2 3 ] Intraocular cilia have been retained for as little as 6 weeks to beyond 40 years ago. [ 3 4 ] Management approaches vary depending on the clinician and patient presentation, from a watch-and-wait stance to intervention to expel the eyelash.…”

Value of Ocular Endoscopy in Extraction of Intraocular Foreign Bodies of Cilia in Patients with Open Ocular Trauma

“…Whether cilia foreign bodies in the posterior segment have to be removed or not through an operation depends on the situation [ 10 ]. Intraocular cilium have been reported to be asymptomatic for 50 year in the anterior chamber [ 11 ]. However, more reports have shown that cilia left in eyes tend to cause polytype endophthalmitis [ 1 , 2 ].…”

Post-Traumatic Cilia Remaining Inert in the Posterior Chamber for 50 Years

“…The response of the eye to intraocular eyelashes is variable. The eyelash may be symptomatic, intra-ocular cilia can be associated with corneal edema, corneal graft rejection, granulomatous or nongranulomatous iridocyclitis, cyst formation, lens abscess, retinal detachment and endophthalmitis or may remain asymptomatic for long periods [3,4,7,9,10]. The asymptomatic course of intra-ocular cilia is related to its relatively inert nature compared to other organic materials and the immune privileged feature of the eye [3].…”