Inadvertent self administration of superglue: a consumer hazard

A case of the blues: Inadvertent ocular injury from accidental instillation of blue ink

Purpose

Many consumer products and non-ophthalmic medications are packaged in plastic “eye dropper” bottles, posing a risk of accidental ocular chemical injury when these substances are mistaken for eye drops.

Observations

We present the case of an elderly glaucoma patient who mistook blue stamper ink for the glaucoma medication Combigan®, and suffered ocular injury as a result.

Conclusions and importance

The packaging of non-ophthalmic products in plastic “eye dropper” bottles poses a significant risk of accidental ocular chemical injury. Elderly individuals with low vision and/or cognitive deficits may be at particular risk of accidental injury. Ophthalmologists have been calling for a greater distinction between the packaging of ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic products for over 35 years, but to date little progress has been made in this regard.

Exposure to Nail and False Eyelash Glue: A Case Series Study

The use of artificial nail tips in professional manicure services and the application of false eyelashes are a growing trend among young women. Often, this “beauty routine” is performed at home without the supervision of an expert beautician, raising health problems due to either the spillage of these products or to accidental exposure to children. The aim of this study is to review the Pavia Poison Control Centre clinical records to identify the frequency, the most common route of exposure, and the possible risks associated to these events to support the decision-making process in emergency departments. The Pavia Poison Control Centre database was retrospectively searched for records reporting nail or false eyelash glue exposure from January 2007 to April 2020, and 42 patients were identified. Among the patients, 76% presented symptoms from mild to severe, while 24% were asymptomatic. The most common route of exposure was dermal, through cutaneous contact, as determined for 19 patients involved. Among these, seven patients presented with second-degree chemical burns, cutaneous erythema, and ocular symptoms. The most dangerous glue component was cyanoacrylate, leading to symptoms in 16 out of 22 patients, while three cases remained asymptomatic. Even if this exposure is relatively rare, nail and false eyelash glue can be seriously harmful, especially when exposure occurs via dermal or ocular routes. In the case of emergency, it is important to treat the patient as fast as possible to limit the damage caused by a burn. Moreover, even though these products are often perceived as harmless, safety precautions should be taken to prevent children from accidental contact.

Deliberate self-harming application of superglue in the nose: case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Accidental and non-accidental applications of superglue in the ear, nose and oral cavity have been reported previously. Surgical removal of glue from the nose is the current practice.

CASE REPORT

This paper reports the case of an 18-year-old female, who presented with complete bilateral nasal occlusion due to deliberate self-application of superglue in both nostrils to avoid nasogastric tube insertion.

RESULTS

Removal of glue was accomplished with a combination of local anaesthetic cream and acetone-soaked cotton buds, which caused only minimal discomfort to the patient. All traces of glue disappeared within 10 days, without causing damage to the nasal mucosa, nasal blockage or pain.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of deliberate self-application of superglue in the nose. A successful non-surgical management option for the removal of glue from the nose is introduced.

Superglue injuries of the eye

AIM

To report various ocular lesions caused by accidental instillation of superglue.

METHODS

Three cases of ocular injuries are described in children aged 6 years, 3 years and 8 months, following accidental instillation of superglue in the eye.

RESULTS

In the first case there was sticking of eyelashes in the medial 1/3 of eyelids in both eyes. In the second case sticking of eye lashes was present in the lateral 1/3 of eyelids in the left eye. In the third case, superglue was present on the right cheek, above the right ear and sticking of eyelids in medial 1/3 in right eye. The eyelids were separated by pulling the lid margins with fingers in the first case and later on superglue was removed by trimming the eyelashes; and by direct trimming the eyelashes in second and third cases. There was no injury to other structures of anterior segment in the first two cases. However, removal of the superglue on the cornea resulted in corneal abrasion in the third case which healed with medical treatment and patching of the right eye.

CONCLUSION

Accidental instillation of superglue is possible because of the appearance of the tube like eye ointment tube. Immediate medical aid will prevent ocular morbidity.

Cyanoacrylate ("superglue") injury to the nasal cavity: case report and a proposed management algorithm

We report the case of a deliberate application of cyanoacrylate adhesive (commonly called "superglue") to the nose of a 9-year-old boy during a fight. The glue was successfully removed under general anesthesia without causing trauma to the nasal mucosa. To the best of our knowledge, only 1 other case of cyanoacrylate injury to the nasal cavity has been published in the literature. We also provide an algorithm to guide clinicians in the future management of this unusual circumstance.

A sticky sight: cyanoacrylate 'superglue' injuries of the eye

A 64-year-old man presented to casualty with blurred vision and pain in his left eye, 2 h after inadvertently instilling clear nail glue into his eye instead of postoperative Timolol eye drops. The glue was removed at the slit lamp revealing a corneal abrasion, which was managed with topical antibiotics. Inadvertent ocular cyanoacrylate, or 'superglue', instillation has been reported frequently since 1982 when superglue was repackaged into ophthalmic style dropper bottles. This case report highlights the continuing problem of cyanoacrylate eye injuries and serves as a reminder to healthcare professionals to report such incidents to manufacturers and regulatory bodies, on behalf of their patients, to promote the introduction of universal safety mechanisms on all household chemical containers. Failure of glue manufacturers to introduce safety cap mechanisms has resulted in significant ocular morbidity over the last 27 years, and such incidents are expected to occur until superglue bottles are redesigned.

Evaluation of treatments for cyanoacrylate eyelash adhesion using an in-vitro model

We evaluated 4 suggested treatments for cyanoacrylate (CA) eyelash adhesion. Nylon paintbrushes were used to simulate human eyelashes. Brushes were treated with one drop of CA and allowed to dry. The brushes were randomly assigned to one of 6 treatment groups: Bacitracin, water, K-Y Jelly, baby shampoo, acetone (+control), and no treatment (-control). Two blinded investigators independently rated each brush to determine if the treatment decreased the adhesion of the bristles. Six brushes were assessed for each therapy. No treatment option was superior to control, and all treatments except acetone had no effect on bristle adherence. Our results suggest these treatments are unlikely to be clinically useful for removing CA from eyelashes.

Cyanoacrylate adhesive mistaken for ear drops

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Superglue accidents and the eye--causes and prevention

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The prevalence of psychological disturbance in neurotology outpatients

This study assesses the prevalence of psychological disturbance among a consecutive series of 120 neuro-otology outpatients, using a structured interview conducted by a clinical psychologist. 42% of all patients were found to be in need of, and were offered, psychological help (27% of those with hearing loss, 45% of those with tinnitus and 64% of those with dizziness). 86% of those offered psychological help accepted it. Current psychological distress was associated with the number of symptoms complained of and past psychiatric history. Patients completed the General Health Questionnaire which was found to have a sensitivity rate of 82% and a specificity rate of 87% in this setting. Physicians were also asked to rate patients' psychological state; close agreement was found between these ratings and those of a psychologist. The contribution of psychological assessment of neuro-otology patients is discussed.

Superglue inadvertently used as eyedrops

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