Doctors restore young man’s vision after tree twig pierces eye

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 24-year-old man, who sustained a serious injury when a tree twig pierced into his eye following a road accident, regained vision after undergoing a critical surgery at KIMSHEALTH, Trivandrum. The young man from Kollam was struck in the left eye by a tree twig after colliding with another vehicle while riding a two-wheeler, causing him to fall onto the road. Over half of the 15-centimeter-long twig penetrated below his pupil and entered his nasal cavity. The impact also caused severe skull injuries since his helmet was dislodged during the accident.

During a complex surgery that lasted over an hour and a half, the surgical team carefully enlarged the incision to remove the branch without damaging the pupil. The wound on the nose bridge was repaired by an endoscopic procedure, and the bleeding was controlled through a nasal packing.

The patient’s recovery was made possible through the combined efforts of specialists from the departments of Neurosurgery, ENT, Ophthalmology, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. “Such cases carry a high risk of vision loss. Although the pupil remained intact, the surrounding blood vessels and nerves were severely damaged. Timely and expert intervention was crucial in restoring the patient’s vision and saving his life”, said Dr. Arun P.S, Consultant, Department of Neurosurgery, who led the treatment.

The patient was discharged after a ten-day hospital stay and has made a complete recovery. Dr. Salil Kumar K, Senior Consultant, Department of ENT; Dr. Suraj Kumar, Senior Consultant, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Dr. Daisy Karan, Consultant, Department of Ophthalmology; Dr. Gopan G, and Dr. Arun NS, Consultants, Department of Anesthesia, were also part of the surgery.