Progressive keratoconus, retinal detachment, and intracorneal silicone oil with obsessive–compulsive eye rubbing

An 18-year-old boy with an obsessive–compulsive disorder of eye rubbing presented with forme fruste keratoconus (KC) and posterior subcapsular cataracts. After evaluation, he underwent phacoemulsification in his left eye with intraocular lens implantation. The aggressive eye rubbing, however, aggravated the rapid progression to established KC, and further acute corneal hydrops within 3 months. Within the next 3 months, the eye rubbing precipitated rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RDs) in both eyes. Furthermore, after undergoing a combined cataract and RD surgery with belt buckling and silicone oil endotamponade in his right eye, the repeated eye rubbing caused extrusion of the implanted silicone oil into the subconjunctival space and within the corneal stroma. This is the first report to our knowledge describing this unique complication associated with eye rubbing. It also highlights the need for increased vigilance and care that needs to be directed toward patients predisposed to such complications.