Penetrating ocular injuries from fish-hooks.

PURPOSE

To report four cases of penetrating ocular injuries from fish-hooks.

METHODS

The case records of four patients who attended the ophthalmology department with ocular fish-hook injuries were reviewed.

RESULTS

Individuals were male, between the ages of 9 and 67. All cases had anterior segment involvement and the hooks were extracted by backing them out through the primary incision. Final visual outcomes were 6/12 or better.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that a good visual outcome can be achieved with the less published back-out method of fish-hook extraction. Obviously the technique of choice used for removal of the hook will vary depending on the case and perhaps more important than the method of hook extraction is the need for prompt surgical repair.