Mustard Gas Induced Ocular Injuries

Mustard gas is a lipophilic, highly cytotoxic agent that rapidly penetrates tissue, and the eye is one of the organs mostly affected,[1] but skin, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and renal systems as well as the bone marrow may also be affected.[2] Mustard gas related ocular injuries can be divided into immediate, chronic, and delayed‑onset phases. Acute manifestations of varying degrees, including eyelid erythema and edema, chemosis, subconjunctival hemorrhage, epithelial edema, punctate erosions, and corneal epithelial defects, develop in 75–90% of exposed individuals and can follow three different courses: complete resolution, persistent smoldering inflammation (chronic form), or reappearance of lesions after a latent period of quiescence (delayed form).