Citation

Al-Saikhan F, Amry MA, Al-Othaimeen S, Alwadani S. Saudi Pharm. J. 2012; 20(2): 177-179.

Affiliation

Department of Pharmacy Services, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, King Saud University, Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsps.2011.09.006

PMID

23960790

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Homemade and folk remedies' use is widely practiced in under developed countries, of the used materials are plant extracts, lemon juice and some dried insect bodies. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of severe ocular injury and its management after self administered plants seeds in both the eyes of a 47-year-old man who had bilateral severe ocular damage after he put the seeds of a plant Lepidium Sativum (Rashad) in his eyes. He reported severe ocular pain and redness, conjunctival epithelial defect and symblepharon. A conjunctival biopsy was taken which turned out to be negative for the immunological staining studies for Ocular Cicatricial Pemphegoid (OCP). The patient's visual acuity improved from 20/40 before treatment to 20/25 after treatment with no further sequelae after 3 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Self induced plant extracts can cause ocular complications. Public awareness is necessary to help in discouraging the use of these harmful plant extracts in human eyes.

Language: en