Ocular Toxicity Secondary to Asclepias physocarpa : The Balloon Plant

Abstract EN

We report a case of a 65-year-old woman with symptoms of blurred vision and ocular irritation a few hours after accidental contact of the right eye with Asclepias physocarpa milky latex.

Observation showed a diffuse conjunctival hyperemia and stromal corneal edema with Descemet’s membrane folds.

Recovery was fast and apparently complete in less than one month.

However, specular microscopy at 6-months follow-up showed an abnormal endothelial morphology as sequelae, suggesting this condition is not as innocuous as it has been suggested.