Intraorbital Graphite Foreign Body With a Delayed Presentation of Optic Neuropathy

Traumatic penetrating injuries to the orbit from pencils, while uncommon, have a plethora of presentations, both acute and delayed. With the most incidents occurring in the pediatric population where obtaining a detailed history is difficult, the ability to effectively evaluate and diagnose these injuries is cumbersome, yet important. The authors report a patient who presented with optic neuropathy, blepharoptosis, and strabismus 10 months after an orbital injury with pencil graphite.An intraorbital graphite foreign body resulted in a delayed presentation of ophthalmoplegia, ptosis, and optic neuropathy in a pediatric patient.