Large wooden orbital foreign body: case report and literature review

Abstract

Orbital trauma is often associated with foreign bodies. Wooden foreign bodies pose an urgent need for removal owing to their reactive nature and the high risk for infection. Though visual prognosis depends on associated ocular trauma, in selected cases, excellent visual and cosmetic outcomes are possible. An 18-year-old woman presented to our trauma facility with a history of fall directly onto a wooden stick from a height. On examination, there was a large wooden foreign body in the left medial orbit, extending into the ethmoidal sinus as visualised on imaging. After administration of perioperative antibiotics, the foreign body was removed in toto using careful tissue dissection and the soft tissue was closed in layers. Postoperatively at six months, the vision in the left eye was 20/20 with mild ptosis. Early surgery, careful dissection of soft tissues and adequate infection prophylaxis can lead to good outcomes in such cases.