Dissection along the optic nerve axis by a BB

T. A. Dinkel, T. P. Ward, D. M. Frey and R. D. Hollifield
Ophthalmology Services, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.

A 13-year-old Hispanic boy suffered a perforating injury to his right eye from a BB. The clinical examination and computed tomographic scan revealed questionable light perception and a dense foreign body, consistent with a BB, situated behind the globe. A vitrectomy was performed that was unsuccessful. Six months later the eye was enucleated, and the BB was found to be within the optic nerve sheath. Foreign bodies within the optic nerve are uncommon. The foreign body in this case, a BB, entered the optic nerve through the nerve head after traversing the globe. The histopathologic findings in this unusual case are presented herein.