Open-Globe Injury With Globe Penetration Leading to Complex Retinal Detachment After Intraoral Anesthetic Injection

Purpose: To report a case of a suspected open-globe injury and globe penetration complicated by a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) after administration of intraoral anesthetic injections during an endodontic procedure. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed. Results: A 34-year-old woman presented with acute onset of flashes, floaters, and a curtain-like shadow across her field of vision. Four days previously, she had multiple left-sided anesthetic injections during an endodontic procedure. The visual acuity (VA) in the left eye was 20/25. Ophthalmoscopy showed a suspected globe-penetration site inferiorly, associated multilayered hemorrhages, and adjacent subretinal fluid. Laser demarcation of the inferior RRD was performed at sequential clinical visits. Through 8 months, the multilayered hemorrhages improved while proliferative vitreoretinopathy–associated tissue formation over the posterior pole caused macular distortion and mild visual deterioration. The VA in the left eye was 20/40 at the last follow-up. Conclusions: Iatrogenic globe penetration during intraoral anesthesia delivery associated with an endodontic procedure may result in globe injury.