CRACK COCAINE EYE SYNDROME

To describe the devastating ophthalmic sequelae of crack use disorder in two patients who developed keratitis.

We report the cases  of two patients with infectious keratitis as a manifestation of « crack eye syndrome »

The medical  records of our cases  were retrospectively reviewed.

case 1 is a 40-year-old male presented with a 3-week history of foreign body sensation in his left eye with purulent discharge. The patient reported smocking crack. The clinical examination revealed  a stromal keratitis  measuring 4*3 mm, and decreased corneal sensitivity. A corneal swab was collected and a staphylococcus was isolated. The patient was put on topical antibiotic therapy.

 case 2 is a 32 year old female patient  consulted for a painful red eye with photophobia  evolving for 1 week. She declared being a heavy cocaine user. Clinical examination revealed visual  purulent discharge and a  paracentral corneal  ulcer.  The patients was hospitalized for culturing and empiric topical therapy. Cultures were positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa

Drug addiction remains a common problem today. Ophthalmologists must be aware of the potential corneal complications associated with these drugs, particularly cocaine. Corneal infections can result in substantial visual loss and morbidity in these patients.