Introduction. We present a patient with perforative eye injury, a metal
foreign body in the lens and traumatic cataract. The paper emphasises the
importance of phacoemulsification in case of patients with a traumatic
cataract and the presence of a metal foreign body. Case Outline. A
41-year-old patient had a perforative wound of the cornea caused by a metal
foreign body that also perforated the anterior lens capsule and remained in
the paracentral anterior part of the lens. The injury, which happened upon
hitting of a hammer against a metal object, showed the presence of a
tangential wound of the cornea adapted edges, and a formed anterior eye
chamber. The presence of a metal spear-shaped foreign body was partly inside
the anterior eye chamber and partly in the central area of the lens. The
visual acuity of the injured eye was 0.2. The technique of removing the
foreign body out of the lens and the phacoemulsification of the lens with the
implantation of intraocular lens is presented. The paracentral wound on the
cornea was not sutured because of well-adapted edges. On the first
postoperative day there were no inflammatory signs, and best uncorrected
visual acuity of 0.8. Conclusion. Posttraumatic cataracts with a metal
foreign body in the lens require operative treatment in order to remove the
foreign body, phacoemulsification and implantation of artificial lens.
Because of anterior capsule lesion, special care should be taken in regard to
anterior capsulorhexis and appropriate hydrodisection. Ocular hypotonia and
possible damage of the posterior capsule in some cases can make
phacoemulsification more difficult to perform.
Vascularisation of the anterior lens capsule in an eye with excellent visual acuity
