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Superficial corneal foreign bodies are routinely removed by the ophthalmologist using a cotton swab, needle, or battery-driven rust ring removal burr.1 Foreign bodies embedded deeper in the cornea may be more difficult to remove at the slit lamp, because tissue anterior to and surrounding the foreign body must also be disturbed in an attempt to dig out the object. Aggressive manipulation of foreign bodies traversing central corneal tissue may result in scarring and loss of visual acuity. Foreign bodies that are suspected to be toxic or are located in the deepest layers of the corneal stroma are recommended to be removed in the operating room with use of an operating microscope under controlled circumstances, since an aqueous leak may result.
In the clinic, the current methods of removing an anterior to mid-stromal foreign body covered by corneal tissue are tedious and cause undue disturbance to the surrounding corneal stroma. In addition, the standard procedure becomes more...