Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation

With the continued growth of human populations, rural urbanisation and habitat degradation are on the rise, resulting in the displacement of native wildlife and an increase in human-wildlife conflicts. The presence of human habitation and waste often attracts rodents and thereby, snakes, leading to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2023-04, Vol.17 (4), p.e0011264-e0011264
Main Authors: Williams, Harry F, Moejes, Karin, Williams, Jarred, Almeida, José R, Savania, Ravi, Senthilkumaran, Subramanian, Patel, Ketan, Vaiyapuri, Sakthivel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analgesics
Animals
Antivenins
Ashes
Biology and Life Sciences
Bites and stings
Care and treatment
Cornea
Diagnosis
Earth Sciences
Elapid Venoms
Elapidae
Environmental degradation
Environmental protection
Eye
Eye diseases
Eye protection
Eyes
Habitats
Handlers
Human populations
Human-wildlife relations
Humans
Land degradation
Medical research
Medical treatment
Medicine and Health Sciences
Pain
Patient outcomes
Personal protective equipment
Protection
Removal
Risk factors
Rural populations
Snake Bites - therapy
Snake Venoms
Snakes
Social Sciences
Tool wear
Tropical diseases
Urbanization
Venom
Wildlife
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife habitats
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Summary:With the continued growth of human populations, rural urbanisation and habitat degradation are on the rise, resulting in the displacement of native wildlife and an increase in human-wildlife conflicts. The presence of human habitation and waste often attracts rodents and thereby, snakes, leading to increased snake sightings in homes. To address this problem, snake handlers, who are volunteers that remove and relocate snakes away from human development areas, are called upon. However, snake removal is a high-risk task that poses a risk of envenomation, particularly when dealing with spitting snakes. Several cobra species have the ability to spit venom. If the venom enters a person's eye, it can result in ophthalmic envenomation, which can have serious consequences for their eyesight. Therefore, snake handlers should take precautions, wear suitable eye protection, and use appropriate tools to ensure their safety and that of the snake. In this case, an experienced snake handler was called to remove a spitting cobra, but they were ill-equipped. During the removal, the venom was sprayed across the handler's face, and some of it entered their eye, resulting in ophthalmic envenomation. The handler promptly irrigated their eye, but medical treatment was still necessary. This report highlights the risks and consequences of ophthalmic injury and the importance of wearing appropriate eye protection and taking due care when dealing with venomous species, particularly those that can spit venom. It serves as a reminder that accidents can happen at any time and experienced snake handlers are not exempt from the risks.
ISSN:1935-2735
1935-2727
1935-2735
DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0011264