Intraocular gentamicin toxicity

K. Waltz and C. E. Margo

The catastrophic effects of inadvertent intraocular injection of gentamicin can be difficult to distinguish from vascular occlusive disease, particularly ophthalmic artery obstruction. Diffuse vitreous haze and shallow retinal detachment were described by Brown et al in a study of the short-term and long-term effects of a 10-mg dose of intravitreal gentamicin in adult macaque monkeys. An earlier study by Peyman et al demonstrated a vitreal reaction in rabbits with high doses of intravitreal gentamicin. Vitreal haze and shallow retinal detachment appear to be important findings that distinguish gentamicin toxicity from ophthalmic artery occlusion, but, to our knowledge, they have not been described in humans.