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Case Reports
. 2020 Jun 10:19:100773.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajoc.2020.100773. eCollection 2020 Sep.

A case of the blues: Inadvertent ocular injury from accidental instillation of blue ink

Alexander D Port  1 , Ashley R Brissette  1 , Kimberly C Sippel  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

A case of the blues: Inadvertent ocular injury from accidental instillation of blue ink

Alexander D Port et al. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose: Many consumer products and non-ophthalmic medications are packaged in plastic "eye dropper" bottles, posing a risk of accidental ocular chemical injury when these substances are mistaken for eye drops.

Observations: We present the case of an elderly glaucoma patient who mistook blue stamper ink for the glaucoma medication Combigan®, and suffered ocular injury as a result.

Conclusions and importance: The packaging of non-ophthalmic products in plastic "eye dropper" bottles poses a significant risk of accidental ocular chemical injury. Elderly individuals with low vision and/or cognitive deficits may be at particular risk of accidental injury. Ophthalmologists have been calling for a greater distinction between the packaging of ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic products for over 35 years, but to date little progress has been made in this regard.

Keywords: Alkali corneal burn; Corneal abrasion; Eye trauma; Ocular chemical injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

The following authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose: ADP, ARB, KCS.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Similar packaging of Combigan® (brimonidine 0.2%/timolol 0.5%, Allergen, Dublin, Ireland) and Offistamp® refill ink (Cosco Industries, Harwood Heights, IL). Note the similar size, shape, and blue bottle top color. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The patient's ocular surface, tear film and periocular skin were stained bright blue by accidental instillation of blue ink. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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