The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7301 p670
29 May 2004

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· The Society
· Eye-drops
· Statins
· Fraud in the NHS
· Pharmacy education

Letters to the Editor

Eye-drops

Olbas Oil mistaken as eye-drops

From Ms V. J. Haylor, MRPharmS, and Ms J. Daines, OND

At Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust we have had six incidents now of patients presenting at eye casualty after mistaking the dropper bottle of Olbas Oil for eye-drops. In the most recent case the eye was painful and on examination showed a large epithelial defect. This patient did not have poor vision to account for the mistake neither did she appear to be a person readily muddled or confused.

Olbas Oil is a proprietary agent used to relieve the symptoms of sinusitis and nasal congestion. Its main ingredients are oils of eucalyptus, peppermint and cajuput. It also contains menthol and oils of clove, juniper berry and wintergreen.

It would be interesting to know if this has been observed with other accident and emergency departments. This incident emphasises the need to store medicines properly and to be alert to similar looking containers.

The manufacturer and product licence holder G. R. Lane Ltd also endorses this need.

Pharmacists selling or recommending Olbas Oil should consider cautioning any of their customers who they know to be regular users of prescribed or over-the-counter eye-drops.

Valerie J. Haylor
Clinical Pharmacist in Ophthalmology

Joan Daines
Nurse Practitioner, Eye Casualty,
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust

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