Bilateral retinal toxicity as a result of poisoning with pure iodine.

Iodine is an essential mineral that is necessary for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, which can cause many diseases in the body. The application of adding potassium iodate to table salts started in Turkey in 1998. High doses of iodate cause retinal toxicity, leading to significant vision loss. A 42-year-old paranoid schizophrenic patient who attempted suicide with pure iodine was admitted with bilateral vision loss. Widespread retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), ellipsoid zone (EZ) and interdigitation zone (IZ) damage were present in the optical coherence tomography (OCT) assessment. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) findings, which included hypoautofluorescence areas that supported this condition, were also found. In conclusion, iodate in high doses is toxic on RPE, EZ and IZ. This situation could be irreversible depending on the dose.
(©Romanian Society of Ophthalmology.)