Muscovite Alexei Alferov has been living with a bullet in his eye socket for 17 years. A 35-year-old resident of the capital received it during his student years. "Vechernyaya Moskva" decided to ask an ophthalmologist what consequences could arise after such an injury and whether such a situation is considered a miracle or is it quite an ordinary case in medical practice.
The bullet is like a dear
As Aleksey himself told the Vechernyaya Moskvy correspondent, he received a bullet in the eye back in 2003, when he moved from Kazakhstan to Moscow to study. Then he dropped by to visit a fellow student in the hostel. It so happened that a friend of Alexei Eugene at that moment was engaged in disassembling pneumatic weapons and accidentally pulled the trigger. A bullet flew out of the barrel, which directly hit the guest in the eye socket.
- It all happened on New Year's Eve, I dropped by to my friend to congratulate him, and instead got in the eye. Of course, pain pierced me, and I thought that I had lost my sight, but after a while I realized that I was not blind. In a word, I was very lucky, - said the man.
The guy did not tell anyone about this story, because he did not want to expose his friend. More than ten years later, the guy continues to live with a bullet in his eye socket, she did not cause any discomfort. But now the Muscovite needs an MRI procedure. But with a bullet in their heads, doctors refuse to conduct research.
- The bullet is like a native, but you need to remove it, - Alferov added.
Now Alexey is preparing for an operation to remove a foreign object so that the doctors give the go-ahead for magnetic resonance imaging.
Doctor's opinion
According to the doctor of medical sciences, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and ophthalmologist, microsurgeon Hristo Takhchidi, in the case of Alexei, the bullet hit not in the eye, but in the socket. And this zone is the receptacle of the eyeball, muscles and fiber, that is, nerve fibers and areas important for visual ability do not pass there.
“The bullet actually flew past the eyeball, without affecting it in any way, therefore this young man's ability to see was preserved,” the doctor said.
The expert added that any feelings of discomfort occur only in the first time after injury:
- First of all, these are painful sensations, dysfunction of the movement of the eye and eyelids may occur for a short time, there may be a violation of the lacrimal apparatus and the work of the eye muscles.
If the bullet did affect important parts of the visual organ, the man could develop paralytic strabismus with further deviation. It would also lead to dryness of the eyes and to impairment of the function of closing the eyelids.
The ophthalmologist noticed that if a bullet or any other object is in such a place for many years, no disturbances will arise, since the body does not perceive it as something foreign.
- But it should be said that dysfunctions can appear against the background of trauma already in old age. Over the years and depending on acquired diseases, intraocular pressure may increase, which will naturally affect the affected area. Again, such a scenario is possible if the nerve endings were affected, - added the medic.
Why is MRI banned?
Takhchidi noted that MRI in Alexei's case, of course, cannot be done, since the apparatus has nuclear magnetic resonance and the fragment will simply start moving during the procedure, which will lead to new injury and blindness.
At the same time, the doctor noticed that in order to eliminate the object, special efforts are not needed:
- In general, a bullet in the eye sockets and any similar objects are not uncommon in ophthalmological practice. It is enough to conduct an X-ray to understand exactly where the object is and which wound channel needs to be done in order to remove it.
The doctor emphasized that, of course, it is quite possible to remove the object without harm to the eye. And this process is done without any violations of the anatomical structures and functions of the organs of vision.