my newphew was stuck by a BB and lost his right eye. i'm just trying to understand why his eye couldn't have been saved. He said the BB entered directly through the front of the eye and is still in the socket. He now has a glass eye that will help him cosmetically but his chance for a scholoarship are all but history. Is there anything he can do to compensate for the loss of his eye (special training)? Can he ever play ball (basketball/football) as he did before?
Thank you
Answered by Richard E. Gans, M. D. (reg@ofcn.org)
BB guns cause devastating injuries to eye! The BB, itself, is made from a combination of metals, one of which is copper. Copper is extremely toxic inside the eye. Once copper enters the eye, it causes severe inflammation that is damaging to the structures within the eye. In addition, the projectile enters the eye at a very high rate of speed. The impact, velocity, and the shock waves created, destroy the delicate structures within the eye. Finally, BBs are not clean. They introduce bacteria into the eye and can cause damaging infections. I have personally never seen anyone with a BB injury to an eye, end up with any useful vision in that eye.
Once an eye is lost, stereoscopic vision is forfeit. There are other visual clues that allow an individual to judge distances, and gain some degree of depth perception. I am not convinced that the loss of an eye should prevent an individual from participating in basketball or football. I must admit, however, that I do not know of any professional athletes with only one eye.
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Copyright, 1996. Richard E. Gans, M. D. All rights reserved.
Richard E. Gans, M. D.
Diplomate, American Board of Ophthalmology
Medical Director, The Health and Wellness Center
OFCN Primary Sysop, The Eye Clinic
Email: reg@ofcn.org
WWW: http://www.ofcn.org:80/about.ofcn/whois/reg/
Mail: 26900 Cedar Road Suite #108
Beachwood, OH USA 44122-1148
NOTICE: OFCN is not engaged in the rendering of professional medical services. The information contained on this system or any other OFCN system should not supplant individual professional consultation. It is offered exclusively as a community education service. Advice on individual problems must be obtained directly from a professional.
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