ON THE TOPOGRAPHY OF CORNEAL FOREIGN BODIES

The purpose of the present work is to study the topography of foreign bodies on the cornea by means of a statistical analysis of a relatively large material. So far as we have been able to find, modern statistical methods have not been applied by earlier investigators in this field (certain works from Japan, Latin America and Russia have, however, not been available in Scandinavian libraries). An investigation has therefore been considered justified and of practical value, since injuries due to foreign bodies are most common among corneal lesions, which in their turn constitute two-thirds of all eye injuries (Chordas) . The data in Table 1 show that as a rule no great difference has been observed in the frequency of foreign bodies on the right and left cornea. In Prann’s series of 702 cases, however, the incidence was greater on the left eye, as it also was in Giraudeau’s collection of only 107 cases. KO, 1939, states that the left eye is affected somewhat more frequently in lefthanded patients. Generally it is reported (Prann, lschreyt, Lafou, Bussaca, K O ) that the lower corneal half is more attacked by corpora aliena, as it is less protected by the upper eyelid (Prann) . Among 702 cases Prann (quoted from lschreyt) found the nasal half of the cornea more often attacked than the temporal. The inner lower quadrant of the left eye was particularly involved, with an incidence figure of 34.1 %, the inner lower quadrant of the right eye coming next with 22.8 %. Not fully