Tourette syndrome and iatrogenic eye injury.

Abstract

To describe the circumstances associated with eye injury from an ocular examination of two patients with Tourette syndrome. Case reports. A 21-year-old man and a 24-year-old man had sudden and unpredictable movement during an eye examination, causing conjunctival laceration and hemorrhage abrasion in the first patient and a corneal abrasion in the second patient. With topical antibiotics for both patients and patching of the eye for the 24-year-old patient, healing was uncomplicated. Patients with Tourette syndrome are at risk of eye injury when an unanticipated tic movement occurs during eye examination. Physician precautions, particularly mental preparedness for sudden jerking movement, should be taken when examining patients with Tourette syndrome.