Schrage N. F., Kompa S., Ballmann B.

RWTH Aachen, Universitätsaugenklinik

Introduction: Case reports of side effects of timolol containing eye drops have been previously described, but evidence of systematic influence of local toxicity has not been proven until now. Since we found corneal calcifications as a common pattern following lime burns and further in animal experiments on continued rinsing after eye burns being highly dependent to the type of continued therapeutical rinsing after eye burns, a retrospective study was followed to give evidence of this pattern.
Methods: Out of 500 clinical eye burns being treated in Aachen 172 patients were included. Items like burning agent, time to rinsing, type of continued rinsing and clinical result were reviewed
Results: The type of initial rinsing does not correlate with the clinical outcome. A calciferous burning agent causes corneal calcification significantly more often than a non calciferous agent (p < 0.01). The continuing treatment with phosphate buffer containing eye drops has a clinical significant influence on corneal calcification. (p< 0.05)
Discussion: Continued treatment with phosphate buffer containing eye drops has an influence on clinical outcome. We believe that phosphate buffer is not suitable for continued therapies on eyes with epithelial damage. Calciferous agent has an independent influence on corneal calcification after eye burns. So we have a fate depending on the burning agent and a side effect from continued phosphate buffer therapies as being supposed earlier in case reports sustained now with a systematic study.

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