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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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-04-01
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| Series: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0011264&type=printable |
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| author | Harry F Williams Karin Moejes Jarred Williams José R Almeida Ravi Savania Subramanian Senthilkumaran Ketan Patel Sakthivel Vaiyapuri |
| author_facet | Harry F Williams Karin Moejes Jarred Williams José R Almeida Ravi Savania Subramanian Senthilkumaran Ketan Patel Sakthivel Vaiyapuri |
| author_sort | Harry F Williams |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb85a2015cb54c06b35d71d28898008b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1935-2727 1935-2735 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb85a2015cb54c06b35d71d28898008b2025-08-20T03:47:06ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352023-04-01174e001126410.1371/journal.pntd.0011264Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation.Harry F WilliamsKarin MoejesJarred WilliamsJosé R AlmeidaRavi SavaniaSubramanian SenthilkumaranKetan PatelSakthivel VaiyapuriWith 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.https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0011264&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Harry F Williams Karin Moejes Jarred Williams José R Almeida Ravi Savania Subramanian Senthilkumaran Ketan Patel Sakthivel Vaiyapuri Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| title | Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation. |
| title_full | Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation. |
| title_fullStr | Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation. |
| title_short | Ashes to eye: A skilled snake handler's experience with ophthalmic envenomation. |
| title_sort | ashes to eye a skilled snake handler s experience with ophthalmic envenomation |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0011264&type=printable |
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