Which of the following is NOT the clinical feature of Arsenic poisoning? Conjuncitiviti Ptosis Corneal necrosis Corneal ulceration
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The textbook evidence confirms the answer clearly.
Answer: Ptosis is NOT a clinical feature of arsenic poisoning.
What the textbooks say about arsenic and the eyes:
According to The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (36th ed.), the ocular features of arsenic poisoning are:
- Conjunctivitis (inflamed conjunctivae) - listed explicitly in the arsenic vs. cholera comparison table
- Congestion, watering of the eyes, photophobia - listed under chronic arsenic poisoning
- Corneal ulceration and corneal necrosis - recognized effects of arsenic's irritant action on ocular tissue
Ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid due to levator palpebrae muscle weakness) is nowhere mentioned in arsenic poisoning. It is associated with conditions affecting neuromuscular transmission or oculomotor nerve function - such as organophosphate toxicity, botulism, myasthenia gravis, or Horner's syndrome.
Summary of arsenic's ocular effects:
| Feature | Arsenic poisoning? |
|---|---|
| Conjunctivitis | YES |
| Corneal ulceration | YES |
| Corneal necrosis | YES |
| Ptosis | NO |
Ptosis is the correct answer.
- The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 36th ed., p. 2138
- P.C. Dikshit Textbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
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