Foreign Objects Penetrating the Eye

This information has been prepared as a service to our patients. It is not meant to act as a substitute for individual medical advice for specific patients.

For after-hour emergencies please call (+92)302 829 1799.

Serious eye injuries could require immediate treatment or surgery to prevent permanent eye damage resulting in vision loss. However, minor surface scratches, on the other hand, may need only simple monitoring after an initial visit to the eye specialist to make sure complications such as eye infections do not occur.

This is a guide to common eye injuries, developed to help you determine the next immediate and appropriate step following an accident, especially if you are in an emergency situation. Remember also that common sense safety precautions such as wearing safety goggles or shatter proof glasses if you indulge in high velocity sports, or activities such as carpentry or mechanical work may be your best approach to preventing eye injuries altogether and maintaining healthy vision for a lifetime.

Foreign Object Penetrating the Eye

If a foreign object such as metal, piece of glass, nail, a fish hook or pencil tip penetrates your eye, visit the eye specialist and if an eye specialist is not available then visit the emergency room/urgent care center right away. You could cause even more injury to your eye if you attempt to remove the object yourself or if you rub your eye. If possible, try loosely taping an eye shield over your eye for protection; then seek help.

Your eye also may have corneal foreign bodies that are small, sharp pieces of a substance (usually metal) that have become embedded in the eye’s surface (cornea), but have not penetrated into the interior of the eye. This can be handled in the doctor’s office. If deeper injury has occurred or a foreign object has entered inside the eye, it will require you being taken to the operation theatre where the foreign object will be removed under optimal and controlled circumstances.

Metal foreign bodies can quickly form a rust ring and a significant scar. Your eye doctor should remove these foreign bodies as soon as possible.