Iron rod removed from labourer’s eye in complex surgery

By Sumesh Rajan | June 1, 2025 
 
Mumbai, INDIA: A 25-year-old construction worker in Mumbai has survived a life-threatening injury after a 13-centimetre iron rod pierced his right eye during work at a site in South Mumbai. Surgeons at the state-run JJ Hospital in Byculla successfully removed the foreign object in a complex three-hour operation, preserving the man's vision and preventing potential fatal damage.
 
The incident occurred on May 19, when the labourer—whose identity has been withheld at the family's request—was brought to JJ Hospital with the rod lodged angularly in his eye socket. Medical staff noted excessive bleeding and bradycardia (a dangerously slow heart rate), raising immediate concerns of cardiac arrest.
 
A multi-disciplinary surgical team led by the hospital’s ENT department and supported by ophthalmology, plastic surgery, and anaesthesiology units began the emergency procedure later that evening. The rod had narrowly missed the carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain. According to one of the attending surgeons, a direct trajectory could have resulted in a fatal brain injury.
 
Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, Dean of JJ Hospital, said, “A complex endoscopic surgery was performed to remove the foreign body. The procedure included orbital decompression with intranasal extraction.”
 
Dr Sunita Bage, the ENT surgeon who led the operation, described the rod as appearing “cemented to the spot.” Despite the delicate nature of the injury and the proximity to vital structures, surgeons were able to extract the object with minimal facial damage.
 
The patient was moved to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) around 2:30 a.m. on May 20. Initial post-operative tests showed he retained functional vision. “We conducted a vision test and found he could accurately identify the colour of a doctor’s clothing from three feet away,” Dr Bage reported.
 
Doctors also feared potential brain damage or paralysis, but the patient has shown normal motor function. He is expected to be discharged on Monday.
 
Relatives and co-workers had taken the injured man to multiple hospitals before arriving at JJ Hospital, which led to an estimated five-hour delay. Medical staff said the delay and blood loss likely contributed to his critical heart condition upon arrival.