New instrument for removing metallic, non-magnetic intra-ocular foreign bodies.

THE removal of intra-ocular foreign bodies, especially those of a non-magnetic character, is one of the major problems of ophthalmological surgery. Several excellent methods of localization have been developed and a number of useful instruments devised, but the removal of such bodies still presents great difficulty and is often a matter of chance. We have developed a device comprising a special contact forceps with a signal unit, which gives a warning when the forceps grasps the foreign body. The forceps (Fig. 1) is of the anatomical type. On the inner side of the arms are insulating plates which prevent the two ends being brought closer together than 0 -I mm. Thus, even when closed, the forceps constitutes a gap in an electric circuit, unless a metallic body comes between the tips. The arms are connected by wires to a signal unit, which produces an optical or acoustic signal when the circuit is closed by a foreign body.