[Corneal melting after moving a tropical aquarium].

BACKGROUND Keeping exotic pets can lead to dangerous situations. We describe an ophthalmological injury caused by Palythoa, an anemone that produces palytoxin when irritated. Palytoxin is one of the most poisonous marine toxins ever described. CASE This case concerns a healthy, 44-year-old man who had rubbed his eyes after setting up a tropical aquarium, which contained sea-anemones among other species. This resulted in bilateral corneal melting, or keratolysis. The injury turned out to be caused by palytoxin. As a consequence, this patient was permanently visually impaired. CONCLUSION The anemone described in this case (Palythoasp) can easily be purchased online with no warnings whatsoever. When working with an aquarium, it is important to know about the species it contains and to wear protective clothing if necessary.