THE 'EYES' HAVE IT - SERGEANT SUFFERS PERMANENT LOSS OF VISION FROM UNTREATED INJURY

  • Published
  • By Tim Barela
  • Torch Magazine
USA --  While doing a self-help project at work, a technical sergeant hammered a nail into a wall stud. He didn't hit the nail cleanly, and the hammer ricocheted. The sergeant didn't know it at the time, but tiny metal fragments from the nail torpedoed into his cornea.

It never even occurred to the sergeant to wear safety goggles while hammering. How many times had he hammered nails in the past? Thousands at least -- all uneventful, except for maybe a smashed digit or two that smarted for several seconds.

In this particular case, the nail he hit was slightly above his head. The hammer glanced off the nail head slightly down and to the left. As he stood left of the nail and hammered with his right hand, his right eye took the microscopic shrapnel. Three metal shavings lodged themselves right below the surface of the cornea, hardly causing so much as a flinch from the unsuspecting worker.

His eye didn't start hurting right away. As a matter of fact, he suffered no discomfort for the rest of that day or night.

When he woke up in the morning, however, his eye felt as though it had dust or sand in it. It was uncomfortable, but he rinsed it with water and didn't give it much more thought.

By the next day the eye was worse. The white of his eye had turned crimson, and it started to get a bit puffy. The discomfort increased and even burned at times. The sergeant's wife encouraged him to go to the doctor, but the 32-year-old prided himself on a high pain tolerance. Plus he didn't want to bother the doctor because he got some "dust" in his eye.

By the end of the week, the redness and puffiness around his eye had not subsided despite his repeated attempts to flush the  eye out. Moreover, his vision had begun to blur slightly.

He decided he would go to the doctor. But since it was the weekend, he would wait until Monday morning.

By Monday morning, the irritation in the eye had become almost intolerable. His vision had become even more impaired.

He went to his family doctor, who immediately referred him to an ophthalmologist.

Using eye drops, light and a special microscope, the eye doctor found the metal particles, which had by this time rusted. The doctor removed the fragments with surgical tweezers. The trauma to the eye and the untreated infection caused some permanent loss of vision.

According to the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, more than one million people suffer eye injuries each year in the United States. Appropriate protective eyewear could prevent 90 percent of these injuries, medical officials with the foundation said.

Dust, sand and other debris can easily enter the eye. Persistent pain and redness indicate that professional treatment is needed. A foreign body may threaten your vision if the object enters the eye itself or damages the cornea or lens. Foreign bodies propelled at high speed by machining, grinding or hammering metal on metal present the highest risk, doctors said.

Corneal infections are serious and can cause permanent vision loss if not appropriately diagnosed or treated, doctors added. So when it comes to deciding whether or not to seek medical treatment for eye trouble, err on the side of caution.