Vision Loss from Endodontic Treatment

Thank you for including this article¹ in JCDA. During the Western Regional Examining Board (WREB) examination several years ago, I suffered an eye inflammation at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Dental Medicine, while I was visiting the endodontics laboratory and performing an endodontic restoration. It made for a very painful condition for which I was referred to an opthalmologist and retinal surgeon for ophthalmic treatment that extended over 2 years. I continue to experience loss of vision. I informed the WREB president at the time, Dr. Paul Stubbs, who apologized for my injury and accordingly changed the regulations for the endodontic examination as an outcome of my appeal against the then-prescribed endodontics procedure. Ingram² suggests that the sequela of endodontic treatment, including splashing the eye with hypochlorite, persists for only 2 days—which in my case is obviously incorrect. It is difficult to pinpoint the cause of my eye injury despite wearing protective glasses and a mask. However, there are superior agents for flushing the pulp cavity, such as silversol solution, than the medications presently in use at dental schools and national board examinations. JCDA is to be congratulated on publishing this timely warning.