Spontaneous hyphema in a patient undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy.

Hyphema, an ophthalmic pathology characterized by blood accumulation in the anterior chamber of the eye, has never been linked to administration of general anesthesia. We present the case of a spontaneous hyphema occurring on emergence from general anesthesia in a postlaparoscopic appendectomy patient. A valsalva-like maneuver with breath-holding during stage II of emergence or during CO2 insufflation may have led to the development of hyphema.