A man impaled his eye after falling face-first onto a brass statuette of an eagle – narrowly missing his brain.
The 38-year-old tripped on a rug at his home while under the influence of alcohol, falling onto the 15cm figurine, which was on his fireplace.
The wing of the eagle became lodged in his right eye socket, and he was rushed to hospital with the figurine stuck inside him, while still fully conscious.
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A CT scan – believed to have been undertaken at a hospital in Coventry, UK – found the wing had pierced through the orbit into his sinus cavity.
The eagle narrowly missed his brain, as reported by Need To Know.
Several specialists – including a neurosurgeon, an ENT specialist and an ophthalmologist – worked on the patient in the operating room to remove the eagle.
He was given antibiotics and a tetanus toxoid vaccination, and doctors were able to safely remove the figurine and see the extent of the damage.
They found evidence of a haemorrhage in the anterior chamber of the right orbit, and found the medial canthal tendon partially severed, as well as other damage – but the prognosis was “optimistic”.
The man remained in hospital for seven days for observation and to receive intravenous antibiotics.
His right eye’s vision was affected, with a visual acuity of 6/60.
A post-op CT scan showed only a defect in the lamina papyracea, and no further lasting damage.
Doctors, who shared the case in a medical journal, said he made a “good recovery”, and follow-up appointments have shown a stable condition.
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