Man, 30, survives after faulty nail gun shoots through his EYE and lodges in his brain
- The man was working on a construction site, but was not wearing safety glasses
- Malaysian medics said he was very lucky not to suffer nerve damage
Surgeons had to remove a 3cm nail from a man’s brain after he accidentally shot a nail gun through his eye.
Doctors in Malaysia shared gory details of the incident in a medical journal, telling how the unidentified 30-year-old temporarily lost his sight.
The man, who had been working on a construction site, had not worn safety glasses while using the nail gun.
After the power tool jammed, he looked straight down the gun barrel to check it, then accidentally fired it.
It missed his left eyeball by millimeters but still penetrated the front part of his brain, fracturing his eye socket.
Miraculously, doctors managed to remove the nail completely and said he was very lucky not to have suffered nerve damage or lost his eye.
Doctors in Malaysia shared gory details of the incident in a medical journal, telling how the unidentified 30-year-old temporarily lost his sight. The man, who was working on a construction site, was not wearing safety glasses. After his nail gun jammed, he checked the gun barrel before accidentally firing the power tool
It missed his left eyeball by millimeters but still penetrated the frontal lobe of his brain, fracturing his eye socket. However, medics removed the nail completely. Experts said he was very lucky not to suffer nerve damage or lose his eye
On arrival at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, on the country’s west coast, the man’s eye was painful, bleeding and swollen.
He was immediately given a tetanus shot, antibiotics through an IV and medication for epilepsy.
Medics found extensive bleeding beneath the surface of and within the anterior chamber of the eye. He also could not see light through the left eye.
X-rays and CT scans of his skull showed that the nail had penetrated the frontal lobe of the brain – an area essential for movement and language.
It had then caused bleeding, which had spread to adjacent brain areas.
Remarkably, it had missed vital arteries and nerves, preventing long-term nerve damage.
The man was rushed to emergency surgery, where medics successfully removed the nail in one piece, along with damaged tissue, sewed up the wound and repaired his eyelid.
The man spent five days in intensive care before being discharged.
Writing in the diary CureusDoctors said: ‘He recovered well during his postoperative period with no neurological deficit.’
However, a week after the operation, he still could not close his eye properly and could not see light through the left eye.
Medics do not know how his recovery continued as he returned to his unknown home country for further care.
Injuries that penetrate the brain and eye are medically known as transorbital-penetrating intracranial injuries (TOPI).
Research has shown that the injury can be fatal in a third of cases, even if surgery is performed in a timely manner. This could increase to more than half (53 percent) if the operation is postponed.
Although often life-threatening, many TOPI cases can be prevented through education and safety measures in the workplace.
The medics urged workers to wear proper personal protective equipment, including goggles and helmets.
“The employers must provide adequate personal protective equipment as well as proper training and demonstration on safe handling of the tools for the workers to prevent work-related injuries,” they said.