Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access

Abstract

Mascara: A Cause of Thermal Burn after Cautery for Eye Lid Lesion Excision; A Case Report

Nancy Al Raqqad and Christopher Liu

Introduction: Surgical fires are rare in ophthalmic surgery. Occurrence poses disastrous risks on the eye and the patient. Mascara can play a role in the occurrence of flash fires in the vicinity of surgical fields by acting as a fuel source.
Purpose: We report a case of thermal burn of eye lashes, eyelid skin and eye brow hair in a patient who was wearing mascara while cautery was applied to her eyelid lesion after excision.
Results: Mascara had caused a spark fire when applying cautery after eyelid lesion excision in a young patient.
Conclusion: Surgeons as well as the entire ophthalmic care team should be aware of this incident to try to minimize the risk of thermal injury by working in a make-up free ophthalmic field.