The use of soft contact lens for intraocular foreign body removal to avoid inadvertent cataract formation

Ocular injuries carry a significant morbidity worldwide. Visual outcomes vary depending on the mechanism of injury, the damage on arrival and the surgical technique used. The presence of an intraocular foreign body further complicates matters, due to its constituents, the infectious potential, and/or damage to intraocular structures. Another described problem is the inadvertent cataract formation due to contact with the natural lens during removal of the foreign body. The purpose of this paper is to describe a case with a mechanical foreign body lodging in the posterior chamber without harming the lens. The surgical challenge was to remove it without causing cataractous changes. Therefore, a soft contact lens was used to form a protective layer between the foreign body and the natural lens of the eye allowing successful removal of the foreign body.