چکیده (انگلیسی):

Purpose: To raise the issue of increased use of traditional medicine while the Tertiary
care hospitals are available to provide the appropriate care for each clinical condition. Eyeliner
(Kohl) is an Arabic word denoting a fine powder with a texture and appearance similar to mascara.
It is usually worn on the lid margins or inside the conjunctival sac by Middle and Far Eastern and in
East Africans populations for different purposes like beauty or religious and as a treatment for
many eye diseases.
Summary: We report a case of a lady who put traditional locally prepared eyeliner in her eye that
resulted in severe corneal edema and faint scaring. On toxicology analysis it was discovered to contain
toxic levels of Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb).
Conclusion: Cd is a heavy toxic metal like Pb but has never been reported as a component of eyeliners.
The most likely possible cause of the corneal clinical picture in our case is due to the toxic
effect of Cd found in the traditional eyeliner (Kohl) used in Saudi Arabia.