Plant sprouted and took root inside man's eyeball
A seed lodged in a man's eye during a branch injury sprouted and rooted approximately 3mm into his eyeball over four months.
A Siberian man spent four months with a sprouted plant growing inside his eyeball before doctors found and removed it. Maxim Sleptsov was hit in the face by a branch during a summer holiday in Russia's Abyysky district.
A small seed became lodged in his eye. Over the following months, the seed sprouted and its roots burrowed approximately 3mm deep into the white tissue of his eye, causing severe headaches and double vision.
He sought help in Yakutsk, where doctors made the unusual discovery. The sprouted seed was removed using an injection needle.
Chief physician Ivan Lutskan said the case was unprecedented in his experience.
- Maxim Sleptsov
- Patient
- 42 years old
- Age
- 3 millimetres
- Root depth
- 4 months
- Duration
Why it mattersIt shows how a tiny injury can have unexpected medical consequences if left untreated or if foreign material is not fully removed.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, though it's a reminder to seek immediate medical attention for any eye injury, no matter how minor it seems.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
