Iron pin lodged in man’s eye removed, vision safe

Iron pin lodged in man’s eye removed, vision safe

A 20-year-old youth was brought to KEM Hospital after a 7mm x 2mm iron piece pierced through his cornea and retina. When the doctors examined him, they hoped for a miracle because saving a person’s vision is difficult in an injury like this. Ajay Rajmal, a Vasai resident, works in a factory and makes nuts and bolts for vehicles. On April 7, a piece of iron pierced his eye while he was working. He was taken to a hospital and given first aid but when he started having a problem with his vision, he was referred to KEM Hospital. “When Ajay came to us last week, his left eye was in a bad shape. We did tests that showed that the metal piece had pierced his cornea and lens to perforate the retina,” said Dr Arjun Ahuja, head of the ophthalmology department, KEM Hospital. This led to a traumatic cataract, inflammation of the membrane over the pupil area and a haemorrhage in vitrus (jelly like substance that supports the eye ball, maintains the tone of the eye and gives nourishment to the retina). “We did a three port vitrectomy — from one port we gave saline to the eye and through the other sent light to see the eye’s interior and the retina. In the third, we introduced vitrectomy cutter to remove the blood from the eye, the lens and the membrane,” said Dr Ahuja. In an hour-long surgery, the doctors introduced intravitreal magnet in the eye and took out the iron piece. “We were shocked to see the length of the metal piece. It is a miracle that we were able to save his vision,” said the doctor. After the operation, a test showed Rajmal had a scar in the most sensitive part of the retina and his vision was partially affected. “Though he can see properly now, we will wait for him to recover and see if he requires a lens. Luckily, he was brought to us on time and the metal didn’t disintegrate and affect the neighbouring area,” said Dr Ahuja. He added that KEM Hospital being a tertiary care hospital does see such cases where the people come with industrial injury. “This is the first time we got such a severe injury. Sadly, many industrial workers don’t get protective gears. It should be made mandatory,” he added. Rajmal was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. “I never thought I would be able to see again. I have been working in this factory for the last three months but I was not given any protective gear,” he said.