Vanishing corneal vessels.

Abstract

We wish to highlight the importance of acknowledging the accompanying effects of topical phenylephrine drops on the eye other than its intended mydriasis. We reported a case of a 92-year-old woman with a corneal graft who was noted to have superficial corneal vascularisation which was not documented previously. After the instillation of topical tropicamide 1% and phenylephrine 2.5%, for funduscopy, the corneal vascularisation was not visible. When reassessed on another visit, tropicamide had no effect on the vessels and only phenylephrine did. We wish to highlight that when reviewing patients in cornea clinics, instilling phenylephrine prior to being seen may mask important corneal vascularisation.

• Authors: Luke Nicholson, Rupinder Chana
• Journal: BMJ case reports (BMJ Case Rep) Vol. 2013 (Oct 11 2013) ISSN: 1757-790X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 24121816 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Mydriatics
• Ophthalmic Solutions
• Phenylephrine
• Tropicamide

Topics

• Aged, 80 and over
• Cornea (blood supply, drug effects)
• Diabetic Retinopathy (diagnosis)
• Female
• Humans
• Mydriatics (administration & dosage)
• Neovascularization, Pathologic (diagnosis)
• Ophthalmic Solutions (administration & dosage)
• Phenylephrine (administration & dosage)
• Tropicamide (administration & dosage)