Monday, March 12, 2007

Bullet Behind the Eye


This is why, as an eye surgeon (and as a human being) I hate pellet guns, BB guns, and all the rest. This 11 year-old boy and I spent several hours together at the hospital on a recent Friday evening because a friend accidentally shot him with a "toy" gun while he was eating a bowl of cereal at his own kitchen table. The X-ray, is a profile view of him facing to the right. You can make out his teeth towards the bottom. The big dense white blob in the middle is the fragmented pellet that entered through his lower eye lid, completely missed the eye (lucky!), didn't go into his brain (lucky again!) but lodged itself deep in his eye socket behind his eye.

Kids and guns aren't a good mix. Well, people and guns aren't a good mix either. The skin is just too dang soft to keep the bullets out.

6 comments:

Brad Ruszala said...

First thing that came to mind:

"Does a bullet behind the eye beat a sharp stick in the eye?"

I just popped on to see your blog and can't wait to see what's here.

Happy writing,
Brad

Marianas Eye said...

Thank you for your question, Brad.

I guess it depends on your perspective. Are you the bullet or the eye? If you're the bullet, then the stick beats you. Of course red hot stick beats all. I'll have to get some kind of hierachy going -- red hot stick, stick, fishhook, etc. Stay tuned...

d

Angie said...

Wow! Very intiguing blog! If I had to do my life over, I would certainly start with science and medicine, especially forensic (spelling?) science!

Thank you for visiting and posting comment on my blog! :)

Do you watch "House?" Love that show, even though the impossible happens!!

I'll check on your blog from time to time! It's interesting to hear a surgeons point of view!

Bruce A. Bateman said...

Welcome to blogging, David. I'm sure your view will be refreshing.

Well, that's it then, Eye think the eyes have it.

I enjoyed your 'Nothing Marta' piece in the Trib more than anything else you have written in that column. Very nice work, David.

Marianas Eye said...

Angie,

Funny, isn't it. I would have given more attention to art!

David

Marianas Eye said...

Thanks for your encouragement, Bruce.

David