Chronic unilateral chemosis following the use of amlodipine besylate

This case report describes a patient with chronic unilateral chemosis, likely due to treatment with amlodipine besylate.

A 52-year-old man visited the clinic with symptoms of foreign body sensation and puffiness in his right eye, which had persisted for 4 months. There were no other symptoms, such as itching and pain, in his right eye and no specific symptoms in his left eye. He had been treated for hypertension and hyperlipidemia for the previous 5 months with once daily amlodipine besylate/atorvastatin (Caduet) and candesartan cilexetil (Atacand). Examination revealed marked swelling of the inferior bulbar conjunctiva in the right eye. Evaluation revealed no specific causes for the longstanding chemosis. A change of medication to telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide (Micardis Plus) without amlodipine besylate resulted in significant improvements in his symptoms after 1 month and complete remission after 8 months.

Prior to invasive evaluation including biopsy, specific drugs should be considered as possible causes of idiopathic longstanding conjunctival chemosis.