Why Does Methanol Cause Blindness
Inside the body methanol is metabolized to formaldehyde then to formic acid.
Why does methanol cause blindness. Not in an attempt to kill or maim it was based on ignorance. It is a constituent of many commercially available industrial solvents and of poorly adulterated alcoholic beverages. Methanol is one of a host of alcohols normally produced during the fermentation of carbon based compounds.
Formic acid is a nerve toxin that acts through damaging mitochondria and the optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to its toxicity. Methanol toxicity is poisoning from methanol characteristically via ingestion. The compound causing the blindness is actually not methanol but formic acid created from methanol in a metabolic process called toxication.
Methanol can dehydrate the skin causing dry skin and can result in dermatitis to the affected region. Decreased vision may start as early as twelve hours after exposure. 8 however fomepizole is more expensive than ethanol and its use in pediatrics is off label.
An alcohol is basically a water atom h 2 0 with one of the hydrogen atoms replaced by a chain of carbons and their attached hydrogen atoms. Methanol also known as wood alcohol is a commonly used organic solvent that because of its toxicity can cause metabolic acidosis neurologic sequelae and even death when ingested. Specific antidotal therapies for methanol poisoning are summarized in tabel 134 2 fomepizole as an alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor may be easier to use than ethanol therapy as it is not inebriating does not cause hypoglycemia and does not require a continuous infusion.
Methanol ch 3 oh is the simplest alcohol with a chain consisting of a carbon atom with three hydrogen atoms attached. Luc luc a ronchi md ped anesthesia. As a result there were some deaths i thi.
Treatment of methanol ingestion relies on ethanol ingestion or injection you try to override alcohol deshydrogenase activity by making it work on ethanol and 4 methyl pyrazole. Long term outcomes may include blindness and kidney failure. But prevention is the cornerstone of blindness prevention.
Symptoms may include a decreased level of consciousness poor or no coordination vomiting abdominal pain and a specific smell on the breath. The chemical can cause blindness and death if ingested.
