Tetracycline induced green conjunctival pigment deposits
- V L Morrison1,
- D O Kikkawa1,3,
- B G Herndier2
- 1UCSD Department of Ophthalmology, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093-0946, USA
- 2UCSD Department of Pathology, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093-0946, USA
- 3Division of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, UCSD Department of Ophthalmology, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093-0946, USA
- Correspondence to: Don O Kikkawa MD, UCSD Department of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Center, 9415 Campus Point Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0946, USA; dkikkawaucsd.edu
- Accepted 15 March 2005
There have been no reports, to our knowledge, of a clinical presentation of ocular pigmentation secondary to the use of oral tetracycline only. Tetracycline hydrochloride is not a well recognised cause of ocular pigmentary changes, but has been reported to cause pigmentation of teeth and nails.1 Of all the tetracyclines, minocycline (a second generation drug) is most often associated with the adverse effect of pigmentation.1 There have been several case reports of minocycline induced scleral pigmentation.2–6 Ocular pigmentary changes reportedly caused by tetracycline have been noted in association with use of minocycline.7,8 Both patients in these case reports had had tetracycline/minocycline therapy for more than 10 years for acne vulgaris and had their deposition localised within the tarsal conjunctiva.7 …
