Mydriasis in the Garden
A healthy 3-year old boy was brought to our emergency department because of an acutely dilated right pupil (Panel A), which developed after he had played in the garden. Half an hour before presentation, his parents noticed he had been crying. They reported no fall and no ocular or head trauma. The right eye showed no pupillary light reflex and no accommodation. Physical examination was otherwise normal. A detailed history revealed that he had touched and held a flower from an angel's trumpet plant (Panel B) and then rubbed his right eye. Angel's trumpet, a member of the genus brugmansia, is an ornamental plant from South America that is increasingly found worldwide and contains parasympatholytic alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine. In cases of sudden, unilateral, nonreactive mydriasis in healthy children, exposure to angel's trumpet should be suspected. Severe intoxication resulting from ingestion can lead to hallucinations, hyperthermia, convulsions, flaccid paralysis, and death. In the absence of any other sign of toxicity, we reassured the parents and discharged the child. The mydriasis disappeared spontaneously within 3 days.