- A man’s left eyeball was paralyzed after he was bitten by a dog
- The patient was diagnosed with an infection and treated with steroids
- READ MORE: Routine ophthalmologist trip revealed woman had tumor on her EYEBALL
<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A Japanese man’s eyeball was paralyzed after contracting an infection from a dog bite.
The unnamed patient, 19, sought medical attention after a German Shepherd bit the left side of his face, causing a laceration to his forehead.
He was first stitched up and sent home – but three days later he returned to his eye doctor complaining of double vision.
His left eyelid was swollen and unable to move, and the blood vessels just below the eye were burst, causing a hemorrhage.
The patient could not freely move his eye after the dog’s bite unless he looked in a certain direction
A German Shepherd bit the left side of his face, causing a gash on his forehead
The patient was given antibiotics for five days and then had an MRI which showed that his eye could not move freely due to excessive inflammation.
Doctors diagnosed him with canine tooth syndrome, an infection spread from dog bites.
This usually occurs when the bite damages the trochlea and the superior oblique muscles at the same time, which control eye movement.
The patient received a two-week course of the corticosteroid prednisone to reduce the inflammation.
However, the double vision did not improve and his eyes were still misaligned.
The dog bite caused blood vessels in the patient’s eyes to burst, leading to bleeding
Doctors then removed part of the affected muscles seven months after the patient’s first injury, leading to recovery.
The patient also did not suffer from permanent scarring of the eyeball.
“This case illustrates that dog bites around the eye can result in abnormalities of the extraocular muscles,” the medical team wrote.
“This case report highlights the importance of prompt assessment and management of patients with dog bites involving the eye.”
It is unclear how common canine tooth syndrome is.
The doctors noted that if the patient had not received proper care, he could have suffered permanent paralysis.