Acupuncture Induced Penetrating Ocular Injury

Purpose: To report a case of acupuncture induced ocular penetrating injury complicated by rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage. Method: Case report. Results: A 72-year-old female patient suffered from rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage after receiving an acupuncture treatment to her left periocular area for a left facial nerve palsy and lagophthalmos. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) developed following primary vitreous surgery. The retina was eventually attached with improvement in visual acuity after second operation. Conclusion: Internal organ injuries have long been recognized as a major complication of acupuncture. Although rare, ocular penetrating injury can happen as a complication of acupuncture, and results in vision-threatening disaster. Acupuncture practitioners and ophthalmologists should be more concerned about the possibility of acupuncture-induced ocular injury.