Dr. ANKITA MITRA

Dr. LAV KOCHGAWAY

Abstract

Intentional ingestion of ethanol or isopropanol-based hand sanitizer has been reported in the literature in a variety of settings within the health care system as well as within households. Lock down of all activities except essential ones is a common practice in most of the countries in the world during COVID 19 pandemic. The lock down forced the stoppage of alcohol supply. Few cases of intentional ingestion of alcohol based hand sanitizer has been reported during this period of severe crisis of alcohol among chronic alcoholics. Isopropanol known to have severe toxic effect on optic nerve along with its other harmful systemic effects and can produce toxic optic neuropathy leading to vision loss. We present a case of alcohol based hand sanitizer induced optic neuropathy in a chronic alcoholic male patient, who drank hand sanitizer due to lack of supply of alcohol during COVID 19 lock down phase.