# Thermal ocular injury associated with retinal necrosis and vitreous inflammation: a case report

## TL;DR

A man suffered a thermal eye injury from a heated screw, leading to retinal damage and inflammation, requiring surgery and highlighting the need to distinguish thermal burns from infections.

## Contribution

This case report highlights the importance of differentiating thermal retinal injury from infectious endophthalmitis for appropriate treatment.

## Key findings

- A heated screw caused thermal injury leading to retinal necrosis and vitreous inflammation.
- Surgery revealed retinal necrosis and localized detachment, not an abscess.
- Post-surgery, the patient experienced macular atrophy and poor vision.

## Abstract

A case of thermal ocular injury associated with retinal necrosis and vitreous inflammation is reported.

A 53-year-old man’s right eye was hit by a heated screw, which embedded directly into the nasal orbit. Two weeks after the foreign body was removed, serious vitreous inflammation and a large yellow–white lesion on the nasal peripheral retina, which resembled a subretinal abscess, were observed. Endophthalmitis could not be ruled out and vitrectomy was performed. During vitrectomy, we identified the yellow–white lesion as retinal necrosis and edema, with localized retinal detachment within the lesion. After surgery, there was significant macular atrophy with poor vision.

Thermal retinal burns must be differentiated from infectious endophthalmitis to ensure timely anti-inflammatory treatment.