Toxic keratopathy due to abuse of topical anesthetic drugs.
OBJECTIVE
To describe 8 cases of toxic keratopathy due to abuse of topical anesthetic drugs.


METHODS
Clinical findings from patients with toxic keratopathy were investigated retrospectively.


RESULTS
Two patients had toxic keratopathy bilaterally. Five of 8 patients had an ocular history of a corneal foreign body, 1 had basal membrane dystrophy, 1 had ultraviolet radiation, and 1 had chemical burn. All patients had undergone psychiatric consultation. Four patients had anxiety disorder and 1 had bipolar disease. Clinical signs were improved in all patients with discontinuation of topical anesthetic drug use along with adjunctive psychiatric treatment. Penetrating keratoplasty was performed in 2 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Toxic keratopathy due to topical anesthetic abuse is a curable disease. Early diagnosis and prevention of topical anesthetic drug use are the most important steps in the treatment of this condition. As these patients commonly exhibit psychiatric disorders, adjunctive psychiatric treatment may help to break the chemical addiction.
Istanbul University, Department of Ophthalmology, Turkey. byeniad@yahoo.com <byeniad@yahoo.com>
Baris
B
Yeniad
Serife
S
Canturk
Fatma
F
Esin Ozdemir
Nilufer
N
Alparslan
Koray
K
Akarcay
D000328:Adult; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D005123:Eye / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007634:Keratitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult
D000779:Anesthetics, Local