Test causes lethargy

An eyedrop used to diagnose the rare Horner syndrome in infants can cause severe lethargy for up to 10 hours, requiring hospital admission and oxygen administration according to new research.

In an article in June's edition of the Journal of the American Association for Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Dr Patrick Watts and co-authors described five cases of extreme drowsiness or unresponsiveness after infants under six months of age were administered 1 per cent apraclonidine eyedrops.

Dr David G Hunter, editor-in-chief of the Journal of AAPOS, said: 'Horner syndrome is very rare in infants, but testing occurs frequently, so it is very important that ophthalmologists and neurologists are made aware of this complication.'