title: Favourable outcome in a patient with penetrating intraocular BB pellet injury.
abstract: Intraocular BB pellet injuries are a devastating form of ocular trauma with a poor prognosis. The penetration of the eye by the pellet causes a marked disruption of the intraocular contents that in most cases leads to enucleation. We describe a 15-year-old boy who suffered a penetrating intraocular BB pellet injury to his right eye and underwent primary repair of the injury followed by secondary vitrectomy and prophylactic panretinal photocoagulation. The postoperative management was complicated by a retinal detachment; however, this responded to a scleral buckling procedure. Eighteen months after the injury the acuity in the affected eye was 20/30 with a contact lens. To our knowledge this is the first case in which useful vision has been recovered in this type of injury.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Conlon
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Canny
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005129:Eye Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D015807:Eye Injuries, Penetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008028:Light Coagulation; D008297:Male; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000601:surgery; D012591:Scleral Buckling; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014821:Vitrectomy; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*