J Korean Ophthalmol Soc > Volume 53(7); 2012 > Article
Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 2012;53(7):1030-1034.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2012.53.7.1030    Published online July 15, 2012.
A Case of Keratoconjunctival Chemical Injury from a Topical Anesthetic Ointment.
Jin Hee Shin, Jin Kwon Chung
Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. schcornea@schmc.ac.kr
국소마취연고에 의한 각결막 화상손상 1예
신진희⋅정진권
Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Abstract
PURPOSE
To report a case of keratoconjunctival chemical injury caused by exposure to EMLA(R) 5% cream. CASE SUMMARY: A 51-year-old woman presented with ocular pain and decreased visual acuity in her left eye after an autologous fat injection for forehead lifting. At her initial visit, her best corrected visual acuity was 20/40 in the left eye. Slit-lamp examination showed a diffuse corneal epithelial defect and conjunctival injection. Based on history of inadvertent seepage of EMLA(R) 5% cream into the left eye and clinical findings consistent with chemical injury, the patient was treated with antibiotics, steroids, and artificial tears. Two weeks after treatment, several corneal erosions remained, and best corrected visual acuity improved to 20/20. After two months, the corneal and conjunctival epithelia were healed. CONCLUSIONS: EMLA(R) 5% cream is commonly used as topical anesthetic ointment for dermatologic surgery, including laser procedures. The cream is highly alkaline and can cause chemical injury to the eye, thus extreme caution should be used when applying the cream to the eyelid or face.
Key Words: Alkaline;Chemical injury;Topical anesthetic ointment


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