A Report of Two Case of Ocular Toxicity Resulting from Direct or Indirect Bee Venom
10.3341/jkos.2019.60.4.399
- Author:
Chan Ho LEE
1
;
Chang Hwan LEE
;
Moo Hwan CHANG
;
Young Seung SEO
Author Information
1. Department of Ophthalmology, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea. mailcarr@naver.com
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords:
Bee venom;
Inflammation;
Optic neuritis
- MeSH:
Aged, 80 and over;
Anterior Chamber;
Bee Venoms;
Bees;
Bites and Stings;
Brain;
Color Vision;
Conjunctiva;
Cornea;
Corneal Opacity;
Edema;
Female;
Hematologic Tests;
Humans;
Inflammation;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging;
Male;
Methylprednisolone;
Middle Aged;
Optic Neuritis;
Orbit;
Pupil Disorders;
Sclera;
Ultrasonography;
Visual Acuity;
Visual Field Tests
- From:Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society
2019;60(4):399-405
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To report a patient stung by a bee, who was diagnosed with sterile endopthalmitis and another patient diagnosed with optic neuritis, with decreasing visual acuity, after refined bee venom injection around the orbital tissue. CASE SUMMARY: A 82-year-old female visited our hospital for decreased visual acuity in the right eye and ocular pain due to a bee sting. The bee sting penetrated the sclera into the vitreous. In the anterior segment, severe cornea edema and anterior chamber cells were seen. Using ultrasonography, inflammation was seen around the intravitreal area. After 3 months, intravitreal inflammation regressed but the patient's visual acuity was light perception negative, and corneal opacity, neovascularization, and phthisis bulbi were detected. A 55-year-old male visited our hospital for ocular pain in the right eye and decreasing visual acuity after refined bee venom injection around the orbital tissue. The best-corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 15/100, there was moderate injection on the conjunctiva. A relative afferent pupillary defect, abnormal color vision test results, and a defect in the visual field test were observed. There was no pain during external ocular movement, and other general blood tests, and a brain MRI were normal. Based on these symptoms, methylprednisolone megatherapy was started for treatment of optic neuritis. After treatment, visual acuity of the right eye was 9/10 and all other clinical optic neuritis symptoms regressed. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these two cases, ocular toxicity from bee venom could result from both direct and indirect courses. Treatment using refined bee venom might be harmful, and caution is recommended in its use.
