Severe Ocular Injury Resulting from Chuna Packets

Abstract

Objective: To describe a mechanism of severe ocular alkali burns occurring as a result of bursting of chuna packets (edible calcium hydroxide paste), a popular additive to chewing tobacco in India. Design: Retrospective case series. Participants: Twenty-one patients (25 eyes) who experienced ocular burns as a result of bursting of chuna packets. Intervention: Patients were treated medically or with 1 or more of the following surgeries: symblepharon release, amniotic membrane grafting, allograft or autograft stem cell transplantation, or both, and large diameter lamellar keratoplasty. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measures were time interval between the injury and presentation, pres..