Retained soft contact lens masquerading as a chalazion: A case report

Abstract

A misplaced contact lens is a common ocular emergency presenting to the eye casualty. We report a case of lost soft contact lens which migrated in the lid and presented 13 years later with symptomatic eye lid swelling. Authors in the past have reported migration and subsequent retention of lost hard lenses in locations such as the superior fornix and eyelid. To the best of our knowledge, misplaced soft contact lens masquerading as a chalazion has not been reported in the literature. Consideration should be given to the possibility of a retained contact lens in a patient with a history of a lost or misplaced lens, and examination of the ocular surface with double eversion of the upper lid should be performed.

Subcutaneous Dislocated Hard Contact Lens with Necrosis of the Tarsus

“…A displaced lens may be asymptomatic or cause chronic irritation, foreign body sensation, mucous discharge, swelling of the lid, or even consecutive ptosis. With a previous history of dry eyes or chronic conjunctivitis, the diagnosis can be missed despite persisting complaints [6,7]. An undetected contact lens in the upper fornix can rarely erode through the conjunctiva and become embedded in the upper eyelid.…”

“…This is in agreement with other cases in the literature where the loss of contact lens is followed by many years without symptoms. There was 1 patient with an asymptomatic time interval of 40 years [3,5,7]. The long latency may be associated with the good biocompatibility of the contact lens, which then leads to a slowly developing damage caused by pressure of the undetected foreign body.…”

Üst Forniks ve Tarsal Konjonktivaya Yerleşen Yabancı Cisimlerde Klinik Bulgular

“…Agarwal ve ark. 10 üst göz kapağında şalazyonu taklit eder tarzda lokalize kistik kitle ile başvuran bir hastada granüle olmuş yumuşak kontakt lens saptamışlar ve hastanın 13 yıl önce kontakt lens kaybı öyküsünün olduğunu bildirmişlerdir. Kontakt lens kullanıcılarında lens kaybına sık rastlanmaktadır.…”

“…17 Ek olarak transparan yabancı cisimler şeffaf plastik, iğ şeklinde renksiz bitki parçaları, kontakt lensler ve cam parçaları niteliğinde olabilmektedir. 2,9,10,12,18 Bu tür yabancı cisimler ilk muayenede zorlukla farkedilebilmekte ve floresein boya ile kolayca görünür hale getirilebilmektedir. Buna ek olarak floresein boya ilk etapta fark edilmeyen kornea epitel zedelenmesini açığa çıkarabildiği için üst konjonktiva yapılarının olası bir yabancı cisim mevcudiyeti açısından tekrar değerlendirilmesini sağlayabilmektedir.…”

Folded bandage contact lens retention in a patient with bilateral dry eye symptoms: a case report

“…The ‘upper fornix trap’ was first described by Bock in 1971 [ 4 ], who postulated that the contact lens can become ‘trapped’ within the upper conjunctival fornix, with the lens’ lower border wedged into the upper tarsal edge. There have been published cases on retained contact lenses presenting as mass, cyst or chalazion [ 5 – 9 ]. We report a case of folded bandage contact lens retained for six and a half years in the upper subtarsal space of an elderly patient, who had a long history of bilateral dry eye symptoms.…”