Enlarging Pigmented Eyelid Mass Associated with Remote Pencil Trauma

Orbital penetrating injuries from pencils are rare. This report describes a case of penetrating orbital injury in a young child with a retained blue-colored pencil core foreign body, which led to rapid onset of orbital abscess requiring surgical drainage. Intraoperatively, orbital tissues were stained a bright-blue color. Histopathological study of specimen also highlighted bright blue aggregates of foreign material infiltrating the orbital tissues. Cultures grew Streptococcus mitis and Exophiala jeanselmei, which are rare causes of orbital abscess. Unique properties of retained colored pencil core as compared to graphite pencil core are herein discussed. Due to differences in composition, colored pencil core foreign bodies may require more timely surgical intervention compared to noncolored graphite pencil core.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Case of the Blues—Colored Pencil Orbitopathy in an 18-Month-Old Boy

Hwang

Maltry

Harrison

et al. 2022

Intraorbital Graphite Foreign Body With a Delayed Presentation of Optic Neuropathy

Liaboe¹,

Mehta²,

Harrison³

et al. 2020

Traumatic penetrating injuries to the orbit from pencils, while uncommon, have a plethora of presentations, both acute and delayed. With the most incidents occurring in the pediatric population where obtaining a detailed history is difficult, the ability to effectively evaluate and diagnose these injuries is cumbersome, yet important. The authors report a patient who presented with optic neuropathy, blepharoptosis, and strabismus 10 months after an orbital injury with pencil graphite.

Enlarging Orbital Rim Mass Due to Old Pencil Injury

Schumaier,

Mileo,

Folberg

et al. 2024

A 54-year-old female noticed a 2-month history of an enlarging left inferomedial orbital rim mass. The patient remembered a pencil injury at approximately 7 years of age. Her complete ophthalmic examination was otherwise unremarkable. She underwent CT orbital imaging, demonstrating a centrally hyperdense lesion along the left inferomedial orbital rim. There was no involvement of the nasolacrimal duct system. The patient underwent an excisional biopsy. The pathology disclosed noncaseating granulomatous inflammation to particulate black material consistent with graphite.