Mortality from Diamox

To report life threatening acute confusional state as an adverse reaction of oral Acetazolamide in an eye care setup. Case Series Two elderly females [60 and 65 years] and one male [68 years] admitted for cataract surgery and prescribed with prophylactic Diamox presenting with identical symptoms. All presented with symptoms of acute confusion, altered awareness and irritability during admission in the ward. Two of these jumped out of ward windows and lost their lives. The third patient was overpowered and managed later thus preventing the fatal outcome. Acute confusion or delirium is a rare complication of Diamox. Never reported in ophthalmic literature and very infrequently reported in non-ophthalmic literature, these case reports display the need of nursing vigilance and awareness by ophthalmologists during the use of Diamox. Since these episodes, the practice of using pre-operative Diamox in cataract surgery patients has been abandoned at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital