Capsicum spray injury of the eye.

We report a case of moderate-grade chemical injury to an eye following exposure to capsicum spray. A 75-year-old man presented with chemical injury to the conjunctiva and cornea following exposure to capsicum spray. The corneal epithelial defect healed in 2 weeks following the initiation of medical treatment. His unaided visual acuity had improved to 6/18 (6/9 with pinhole) after 6 weeks. Such a case illustrates that the safety of the commercially available capsicum sprays should be assessed before marketing as they may cause serious injury to the eye.