The iris of a man in Taiwan detached from its normal place. After a traumatic iridodialysis, this man had an odd eye injury. As seen from the photo, the iris is completely detached from the top. It is now sagging downward.
Ever seen a terrarium or a cloudy fish bowl? This man’s eye looks exactly like those. It shows a dark orb covered in a brown, sandy-looking layer at the bottom. Do not be mistaken! This is not by any form a worn-out contact lens. It is actually the look of a tremendous eye injury. It is an eye with an iris drooping down from its normal place.
What Caused the Eye Injury?
This is the eye of a 48-year-old man from Taiwan. This is a photo taken from the eye clinic that admitted the man after being struck by a bungee cord in his left eye. The man explained that he was trying to secure some goods on his motorcycle when suddenly, the cord snapped at his eye. He quickly rushed to the clinic with a painful blurry eye.
According to the eye doctor he went to, his eye exam showed a bruised eyelid and distorted pupil. His injured eye was found to have a vision of 20/200. This is considered “legally blind” in the United States. Further series of tests revealed that the man had a deformed iris. From the normal 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock position, it had sagged way downward.
Traumatic iridodialysis
The diagnosis says that the man suffered “traumatic iridodialysis.” This is an eye injury that occurs when a blunt trauma causes the iris to detach from its original structure. The iris is the colored part of the eye responsible for regulating the amount of light entering the eye. When something hits the surface of the eye, the iris can get dislocated. It means it and rips away from the inner wall of the eye.
In this man’s case, the iris collapsed, tore, and came downwards following the pull of gravity. This only of the many appearances that iridodialysis can take in form. The injury may look different from every case depending on the angle of injury and how the shock wave of energy transmits through the eye.
What Are the Harmful Effects of the Injury?
Traumatic iridodialysis can cause internal bleeding in the eye, retinal detachment, or lens injury. The patient may also develop traumatic cataract or glaucoma. Luckily, this man did not present any signs of these complications. He will only require continuous monitoring for now until any signs of complications show up, which can be years after the injury.
The man had undergone iridoplasty, a surgery to reposition his iris. The surgery was successful and restored his pupil shape and eyesight. After a year, his iris remained in the correct position with only “mild deformity” and showed no signs of glaucoma. In line with this, experts recommend people to wear protective eyewear when doing activities that could be risky for eye injuries.
