Oculocardiac reflex caused by contact lenses.
OBJECTIVE
To report two cases of patients who fell unconscious because of the oculocardiac reflex when attempting to wear contact lenses.


METHODS
Case 1: A 15-year-old healthy boy came to our clinic to be fitted with contact lenses. As soon as a hard contact lens was inserted forcibly, he became unconscious. Case 2: A 22-year-old man fell unconscious the instant that the eye was compressed with a hard contact lens. Neither patient had used glasses or contact lenses before. Their blood pressure was decreased while unconscious. They recovered consciousness after about 10 min, and nausea and vomiting settled subsequently. Contact lens insertion was tried again carefully after 1 week avoiding compression of the eyes and there were no problems. They are currently using contact lenses without any problems.


CONCLUSIONS
Insertion of contact lenses may rarely provoke the oculocardiac reflex.
Mimura
Tatsuya
T
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. mimura@mbg.sphere.ne.jp
Amano
Shiro
S
Funatsu
Hideharu
H
Araie
Makoto
M
Kagaya
Fumie
F
Kaji
Yuichi
Y
Oshika
Tetsuro
T
Yamagami
Satoru
S
Okada
Eichi
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000209:etiology; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D011312:Pressure; D012024:Reflex, Oculocardiac; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology