Ocular injuries from liquid golf ball cores.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Materials Science
• Pathology

Background:

• Ocular injuries from foreign bodies are common.
• Previous studies suggested zinc sulfide in golf ball materials causing ocular reactions.
• The exact composition and biological response to golf ball fragments remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the crystalline foreign material in ocular tissues following golf ball injury.
• To characterize the biological response to these foreign materials.
• To investigate the distribution of deposits within ocular tissues.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of tissue samples from nine patients with golf ball-related ocular injuries.
• Optical and electron probe analysis to identify crystalline material.
• Histopathological examination to assess inflammatory and fibrotic responses.

Main Results:

• Crystalline material identified as crushed barytes with muscovite, consistent with natural deposits.
• Foreign material was present in tissues from 18 hours to 20 weeks post-injury.
• Mild inflammatory reaction, macrophagic activity, and fibrosis were observed.
• Deposits were frequently located in the conjunctiva, correlating with tissue structure.
• No zinc sulfide was detected, contrasting with prior reports.

Conclusions:

• Golf ball injuries introduce barytes and muscovite into ocular tissues.
• These materials elicit a foreign body reaction including inflammation and fibrosis.
• Tissue-specific deposition patterns influence the location of foreign material.