Superstuck: A case of cyanoacrylate glue inside the eye of a pediatric patient

Introduction: Ocular exposure to cyanoacrylate glue (“superglue”) is a common ophthalmic injury that presents unique clinical management strategies in children. Case Report: A 7-year-old girl with no prior medical or ocular history presented to the children’s emergency room with 10 hours of pain and inability to open the eyelids on the left side. She had been playing with cyanoacrylate-containing artificial nail glue and inadvertently instilled most of the package into the left eye. The patient’s parent reported multiple attempts to open the eye at home with water and acetone, which were unsuccessful. We report an “unzipping” technique for successful removal of cyanoacrylate (“superglue”) from the eye. Conclusion: Prompt removal of cyanoacrylate glue following ocular exposure is important; the “unzipping” technique described here can be considered in cases of inadvertent glue tarsorrhaphy.