Epidemiology, clinical features, and visual outcomes after intraocular foreign body removal: an IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) Analysis

Purpose To describe the epidemiology, clinical features, and visual outcomes of intraocular foreign body (IOFB)-associated eye injuries. Design Retrospective multicenter cohort study utilizing data from the American Academy of Ophthalmology IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight). Subjects Eyes that underwent IOFB removal between January 2016 and October 2024. Methods Sociodemographic information, clinical features at presentation, primary surgical procedures and postoperative complications were summarized. Multivariable linear mixed-effects regression models were employed to investigate predictors of visual outcomes up to 18 months post-IOFB removal. Main outcome measure Epidemiology (including annual incidence rates and associated factors) and clinical characteristics; predictors of visual acuity (VA) up to 18 months post-IOFB removal. Results A total of 4784 eyes (4684 patients, 70.3% male) with a median age of 55 years at presentation (interquartile range 36-70) were identified over the study period. Mean annual incidence was estimated at 2.32 per 100,000 patient-years (95% CI 2.12-2.52) and was independently associated with male sex, race, and rural residence. The most common complications at presentation were retinal detachment (12.5%), cataract (10.5%), vitreous hemorrhage (7.9%), and endophthalmitis (3.9%). Median VA at presentation was 1.24 logMAR (IQR 0.30-2.30). A significant improvement in VA was seen only from month two post-IOFB removal (−0.38 logMAR, 95%CI −0.41 to −0.34), with further minor improvements up to month 18 (−0.59 logMAR, 95%CI −0.69 to −0.48). After adjusting for relevant covariates, Black or African American race and presence of endophthalmitis, retinal detachment or hyphema at baseline were associated with worse visual outcomes. Subgroup analysis of patients with pre-IOFB VA found that improvement was attenuated for people with pre-IOFB VA worse than 1.0 logMAR. Conclusions These findings offer a real-world benchmark for post-IOFB visual trajectories and outcomes, and may support clinicians in prognostication and patient counselling. Further research is needed to investigate the underlying drivers of observed racial disparities to inform equitable care.