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Anticholinergic visual hallucinosis from atropine eye drops

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Andrew G. Bishop  and
John M. Tallon
Andrew G. Bishop
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New Halifax Infirmary, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
John M. Tallon*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, New Halifax Infirmary, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
*
Department of Emergency Medicine, New Halifax Infirmary, 1796 Summer St., Halifax NS B3H 3A7; jtallon@is.dal.ca

Abstract:

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A 37-year-old man with type I diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure presented to the emergency department complaining of hallucinations. He was 5 days postoperative for left pars plana vitrectomy and intra-ocular lens implantation and had been taking ophthalmic atropine, tobramycin and prednisolone. He had presented 5 months earlier, on the same ophthalmic medications, with postoperative hallucinations after a right pars plana vitrectomy. Visual hallucinations are a major side effect of anticholinergic poisoning. Ophthalmic instillation of atropine has been documented to cause many central nervous sytstem symptoms, including hallucinations.

Keywords

anticholinergicatropinepsychosisophthalmologyrenal failure
Type
Case Reports • Observations
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , July 1999 , pp. 115 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 1999

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