O. Geyer, M. Neudorfer, M. Lazar
Dec 1, 1993
Citations
0
Influential Citations
3
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Abstract
Phenylephrine hydrochloride is a sympathomimetic drug. In ophthalmic practice, 2.5% and 10% concentrations of phenylephrine eye drops are used as mydriatic agents. Solutions containing 0.125 % phenylephrine are used as conjunctival decongestants. Acute blepharoconjunctivitis with mucopurulent discharge due to phenylephrine eye drops has been reported [2,5-8, 10]. The histological study of phenylephrine blepharoconjunctivitis shows nonspecific infiltration of the tissue by granulocytes, lymphocytes, and mononuclear cells [7]. The reaction begins 4-6 h after drug administration, reaches maximum at 12-24 h, and regresses gradually within 72 h. The fact that some of the patients had received the same concentration of the drug 1 year earlier without any adverse effect [7] suggests that an immune mechanism is involved. The clinical course of the reaction suggests a delayed-type cell-mediated hypersensitivity. In a delayed-type hypersensitivity, the reaction appears after several hours, reaches maximum at 2448 h and thereafter subsides [11]. In the present study, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with phenylephrine-induced blepharoconjunctivitis and of healthy controls, were tested for their capacity to proliferate when stimulated in vitro with phenylephrine. We studied eight patients (five females and three males, mean age 74.2 years) who had previously developed acute allergic blepharoconjunctivitis due to phenylephrine hydrochloride eye drops. None of the patients had the above reaction during the the study. Four females and four males (mean age 73.3 years) serves as controls. None of the patients or controls had received