Ipsilateral, isolated amaurosis after inferior alveolar nerve block: report of two rare cases.

BACKGROUND

Local anesthetics are utilized all over the world for performing painless dental procedures. Usually, the administration of local anesthetic is an uncomplicated process that passes off uneventfully. Complications, when seen, are not usually serious. However, blindness is an alarming complication both for the patient and for the dentist. Amaurosis can occur with both maxillary and mandibular nerve blocks. Amaurosis is usually associated with other ocular complications like ptosis, diplopia, and periorbital blanching.

CASE REPORT: We report two rare cases of transient isolated amaurosis. Both the instances of amaurosis were seen after inferior alveolar nerve blocks. The condition was transient and resolved without any active intervention.

DISCUSSION: Though permanent amaurosis has been reported, it is usually transient in nature. Various causes have been proposed like intravascular injection, sympathetic impulse generation, and embolism. The etiology in the present case was believed to be intravascular injection.