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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Evaluating Therapeutic and Chemical Toxicity Using Organ-Cultured Porcine Corneas and Epithelial Wound Healing
Published on: January 10, 2025
Toxic keratopathy due to abuse of topical anesthetic drugs
Baris Yeniad1, Serife Canturk, Fatma Esin Ozdemir
1Istanbul University, Department of Ophthalmology, Turkey. byeniad@yahoo.com <byeniad@yahoo.com>
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.
Conclusion:
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.
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