Intralenticular foreign bodies: case reports and surgical review

Management of intralenticular foreign bodies (ILFBs) is controversial. Correlation between visual outcome, foreign body characteristics, the need for surgical intervention, and the choice of surgical technique are not well established. We report five cases of traumatic ILFBs all managed surgically. Three ILFBs were metal, one was presumably also metal, and one was wood. We chose to proceed with foreign body removal and simultaneous cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation as a single-staged procedure in four cases. In one case of planned extracapsular cataract extraction, a foreign body was identified only after the expressed nucleus was sent for pathological examination. Visual outcomes were 20/30 or greater in all cases at 5 to 18 month follow up.