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Corneal Foreign Body

Checked: 23-08-2020 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-08-2021

Overview

Corneal foreign bodies often occur in high-risk occupations and hobbies. Eye protection does not exclude a foreign body. Often foreign bodies are small (<1mm) and are not easily visible to the naked eye. The use of Fluorescein and blue light can help pick up small FBs in primary care. Please see diagnostic photograph

Who to refer?

It is expected primary care sends all corneal foreign bodies to the BEH Emergency Department for review and removal.

Red Flags

It is expected primary care sends all corneal foreign bodies to the BEH Emergency Department for review and removal.

Before referral

A corneal foreign body can be removed with a cotton bud. It is not safe to use a needle without a slit-lamp. If completely removed, the patient requires chloramphenicol ointment three times a day for five days and safety-netted to attend the eye emergency department if symptoms do not settle. Unless you are confident, do not attempt removal.

The patient with a foreign body can be given chloramphenicol ointment to prevent an infection prior to referral.

It is expected primary care sends all corneal foreign bodies to the BEH Emergency Department for review and removal.

Referral

Refer to BEH Emergency Department

Resources

These guidelines have been written by Rhys Harrison, consultant ophthalmologist at Bristol Eye Hospital, with thanks to the patients who have kindly given consent to use their photos.

For full ophthalmology guidelines see: Primary Care Ophthalmology Guidance Document

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

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