Retrobulbar chlorpromazine injections for the management of blind and seeing painful eyes

PURPOSE: To report the efficacy of primary retrobulbar chlorpromazine injections for the management of blind and seeing painful eyes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective case series from three university hospitals was done. Twenty eyes of 20 patients with at least 3 months of follow-up are reported. Ten of these 20 eyes did not receive any other ophthalmic medications either 2 weeks before chlorpromazine injection or at any time point after injection. Treatment was considered successful if pain control lasted for at least 3 months, without the need for reinjection or enucleation. RESULTS: Sixteen of 20 (80.0%) eyes achieved successful pain control. There were no permanent complications in any patient. CONCLUSIONS: Retrobulbar chlorpromazine appears to be safe and effective for the management of pain in blind eyes.