Sudden Blindness Secondary to Injections of Common Drugs in the Head and Neck: I. Clinical Experiences

Several cases of sudden, irreversible blindness have been reported in the world literature following injections of various drug combinations in the head and neck. The common feature these drugs have is their capacity to either produce direct neurotoxic effects or embolic phenomena. Two new cases which resulted from injection of the combination of a depo or long-acting corticosteroid (methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg) and a local anesthetic and epinephrine or penicillin were added to the growing world literature. The ocular and systemic pathologic findings are described and important questions are raised as to the pathophysiology. The need for an animal model experiment to answer as many of these questions as possible is emphasized.