Chronic, Stromal Foreign Body of Presumed Human Origin, following Corneal Abrasion

A 30-year-old woman presented with left eye pain and photophobia for over eight weeks. A hair was found to be embedded obliquely within the corneal stroma with overlying reepithelialization. The foreign body had been quiescent for over four years prior to any ocular symptoms. Successful removal of the hair was performed using local anesthetic, jeweler's forceps, a microblade, and a thirty-gauge needle with good visual outcome. We report an interesting case of an acute exacerbation of a previously quiescent, chronic corneal foreign body secondary to what we presume to be human hair following trauma, with only three other cases in the English literature.