Question: How are metal foreign bodies removed from the cornea?

Answer: Foreign bodies can get into the eye and are very irritating, but are usually washed out with the tears. Metal flakes, however, have a tendency to stick to the cornea surface and quickly rust.

They can be removed with a q-tip. If the piece is deep, it needs to be examined under the slit-lamp microscope. It can be removed using a blunt needle by an ophthalmologist. To get a better idea how this looks, check out the foreign-body removal video at RootAtlas.com