A 26-year-old white female presented with a complaint of tearing and light sensitivity of several weeks duration. Examination revealed a translucent foreign body embedded in the temporal aspect of the right cornea. The fragment embedded in the cornea produced localized corneal inflammation and vascularization. The foreign body was removed and the eye was pressure patched overnight. One day after removal of the foreign body, the eye was white and quiet and the patient was comfortable. This case report represents a unique in vivo observation into the pathogenesis of non-infectious corneal vascularization.