A 42-year-old man in Russia discovered that a seed had sprouted inside his eye after suffering months of agonising headaches, inflammation and double vision. Maxim Sleptsov, a welder and plumber from Siberia, reportedly sustained the injury when a branch struck his face during a summer trip to a remote district. Although he rinsed his eye and removed a piece of bark, a tiny seed remained lodged inside. Doctors later discovered that it had germinated, with a 3mm root penetrating the conjunctiva. An ophthalmologist eventually removed the seed under local anaesthetic, bringing relief from his persistent headaches.
How a Siberian trip left a Russian man with a seed in his eye
According to The Sun, the incident began when Sleptsov was visiting a friend in the remote Abyysky district of Siberia. During the extended summer trip, he went fishing and picking berries when a branch caught him in the eye and whipped across his face.Recalling the accident, Sleptsov said: “A branch caught me in the eye. It whipped across my face.” He subsequently experienced itching, pain, redness and watering in the affected eye. He rinsed it and removed a small piece of bark, believing that he had dealt with the problem. However, a small seed had remained lodged in his eye without his knowledge.
Russian man suffers months of agonising headaches
Although Sleptsov initially thought the injury had healed, his symptoms continued to worsen. He experienced persistent inflammation, double vision and severe headaches over the following months. His eyesight also deteriorated, making it increasingly difficult for him to see properly with both eyes.Speaking about the severity of his condition, Sleptsov said: “I was suffering from constant migraines. I woke in the mornings with a terrible headache.” The pain eventually became unbearable. However, reaching medical assistance was difficult because the nearest eye hospital was hundreds of miles away across the remote region.
How a seed penetrated the tissue inside a Russian man’s eye
After returning to the regional capital of Yakutsk, Sleptsov went to the Emergency Optometry Centre, where doctors discovered the unexpected cause of his symptoms. According to The Sun, examinations revealed that a seed had germinated inside his eye and developed a small root.The root had penetrated the conjunctiva, the delicate membrane covering the white part of the eye. Ivan Lutskan, the centre’s chief physician, described the unusual discovery, saying: “Most surprisingly, it had sprouted, and its root had actually penetrated the conjunctival tissue.”
Ophthalmologist removes sprouting seed from Russian man’s eye
Ophthalmologist Elizaveta Karpova carried out the procedure to remove the seed. She used an injection needle to extract the tiny sprouting seed under local anaesthetic. By the time it was removed, its root had already grown into the surrounding conjunctival tissue.Karpova explained that the root had reached approximately 3mm in length. She also described the case as highly unusual, saying: “I had never encountered a case like this in my practice before.” The removal prevented the seed from remaining embedded in the delicate tissue of Sleptsov’s eye.
Russian man’s headaches disappear after seed removal
Following the procedure, Sleptsov’s persistent headaches disappeared, bringing relief after months of discomfort and deteriorating eyesight. He described his reaction to the successful removal, saying: “They removed a seed that had already begun to put down roots. I was so relieved that nothing else mattered.”The case was reported by The Sun on 28 October 2026, with the newspaper attributing its account and accompanying images to East2West. The discovery came after months of symptoms that began with an apparently minor eye injury during Sleptsov’s trip to the remote Siberian district.
