Bilateral blindness following snakebite

Abstract

Snakebite is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria, as in many parts of the tropics. However, blindness is a rare complication. Reported cases have usually followed bites by neurotoxic snakes such as the cobra. Reports of blindness produced by the bite of haematotoxic snakes are extremely rare. We report the case of bilateral blindness following a bite from a carpet viper. The literature on the subject matter is reviewed and the possible mechanisms of snakebite-induced blindness are discussed.