A 9-year-old girl was reviewed by a tertiary ophthalmology service after being hit in her right upper eyelid by a fish whilst swimming. Initial wound exploration demonstrated fish scales in the wound. She was first treated conservatively with washout of the 5-mm wound and was discharged with oral ciprofloxacin. Five days later, the patient re-presented with a worsened ptosis due to periorbital swelling. Ultrasound of the upper lid demonstrated a foreign body in the upper lid. The patient was taken to theatre and, with the assistance of intraoperative ultrasound, the jaws of a needle fish were removed from the upper lid. The case highlights the importance of ultrasound and its intraoperative utility in cases of trauma and a suspicion of retained foreign bodies as well as the potential danger of fish injuries off the West Australian coast.
Keywords: Australia; Fish; eyelid; needlefish.