Ocular Toxicity Secondary to Asclepias physocarpa: The Balloon Plant

Case Rep Ophthalmol Med. 2014:2014:829469. doi: 10.1155/2014/829469. Epub 2014 Jul 2.

Abstract

We report a case of a 65-year-old woman with symptoms of blurred vision and ocular irritation a few hours after accidental contact of the right eye with Asclepias physocarpa milky latex. Observation showed a diffuse conjunctival hyperemia and stromal corneal edema with Descemet's membrane folds. Recovery was fast and apparently complete in less than one month. However, specular microscopy at 6-months follow-up showed an abnormal endothelial morphology as sequelae, suggesting this condition is not as innocuous as it has been suggested.