Purpose:

To describe “iris shelf” technique for removal of posterior segment intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) through a corneal incision combined with phaco-vitrectomy and to report its outcomes.
Methods:

Medical records of patients with posterior segment metallic IOFBs who had combined phaco-vitrectomy were collected and analyzed. In all patients, the IOFB was placed on the iris surface after forming the anterior chamber with viscoelastic to be extracted through a corneal phacoemulsification incision.
Results:

Thirty-three eyes of 33 male patients with a mean age of 31.6 ± 8.3 years were included in the study. The mechanism of injury was hammering in 24 eyes (72.7%) and gunshot in 9 eyes (27.3%). The mean interval between injury and IOFB removal was 14.76 ± 6 days. Mean IOFB volume was 8.5 ± 5.5 mm3 and its longest dimension was 3.45 mm (range, 1 mm–8 mm). The mean preoperative corrected distance visual acuity changed from 20/1500 (1.79 logMAR) to 20/94 (0.67 logMAR) postoperatively (p<0.001). Postoperative complications included retinal detachment (two eyes), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (one eye), epiretinal membrane (one eye), and posterior synechiae (three eyes).
Conclusion:

The “iris shelf” technique with phaco-vitrectomy is a safe and reproducible approach for posterior segment IOFB extraction through a corneal incision with favorable visual and anatomical outcomes.