Calotropis-induced toxic keratitis managed with teleophthalmology services in rural India

Abstract

A female laborer presented with acute diminution of vision in her right eye following accidental injury with a sap of Calotropis flower. The patient was diagnosed with Calotropis-mediated endothelial toxicity based on clinical findings and started on a course of topical steroids. The patient had to face several logistical challenges such as distance of travel, loss of daily wages, and nonavailability of a family member to accompany her. She was then followed up with sequential imaging of the cornea utilizing the teleophthalmology services of our institute at the rural vision center located in the vicinity of patient's house. Seven days later, the cornea had completely cleared with improvement in the best-corrected visual acuity. This case demonstrates Calotropis-induced endothelial toxicity which is very common in remote rural areas and its effective management using the mobile or tablet-based teleophthalmology application of our institute's three-tier eyecare pyramid model.

Keywords

• calotropis
• endothelial toxicity
• teleophthalmology