Dilemma of Retained Intraorbital Fragment of Pencil

Juvenile injuries by intraorbital foreign body in extremities are common and usually trivial (1) but they may lead to debilitating sequels in the head and neck. Because of their availability in comparison to other sources of trauma, accidental injuries may occur while children play with their friends. Injuries by pencils are special types of intraorbital foreign body, the final outcome of which is dependent to concurrent injuries of the ocular and also neurologic structure and comorbiditie. Orbital injury requires comprehensive evaluation, especially in child victims when there is not sufficient information regarding trauma mechanism and the intraorbital foreign body should be ruled out before any closure of wounds, as shown in the sample case presented here. In school age children with a history of falling, intraorbital fragments of pencils should be kept in mind. Preoperative information about the true number and exact location of retained fragments is paramount for an appropriate management. When there is high suspicion for retained foreign body, further detailed studies with CT and if needed MR scans and in selected cases plain X- ray are very helpful.