Explosive intraocular foreign bodies

We examined 2 patients, each with a foreign body composed of smokeless gunpowder in the vitreous body of one eye and multiple similar foreign bodies in the eyelids, conjunctiva, and cornea. No damage to the eye was caused by the retention of these foreign bodies for over 3 yr in one case and 2 yr in the other. The composition of these foreign bodies appeared to be nontoxic to the eye and thus, extraction of the foreign bodies did not seem to be necessary.