A man threw a slipper at his barking dog. He missed, hitting his 86 year old wife in the eye. She didn't seek medical attention urgently because initially her vision seemed to improve. A week later when she presented she was found to have a traumatic lens dislocation, which was successfully repaired (she awaits cataract surgery on the other eye). The lens had effectively been “couched,” the centuries-old cataract treatment whereby a sharp blow to the eye knocked a “ripe” lens into the vitreous, clearing the vision. It later transpired that the husband's poor aim was also due to bilateral cataracts.

Vanita Pathak-Ray, specialist registrar, H A Ahluwalia, specialist registrar, Chris Gorman, consultant,Cardiff Eye Unit, University Hospital of …