Lissamine Green
GoodRxLissamine Green · ophthalmic strip
Diagnostic Dye
Approved uses
Ocular surface staining for suspected corneal or conjunctival epithelial damage
One strip moistened with 1 to 2 drops of sterile saline or irrigating solution, touched to the conjunctiva or fornix, followed by several blinks
1% solution stains as well as rose bengal with less discomfort, and is best graded within 4 minutes.
Contraindications
- Not to be used with soft contact lenses
- The labeling for this unapproved drug gives no other condition under which the strips must not be used
Available FormsDye-impregnated strips, dispenser carton of 100.
Mechanism of ActionOrganic vital dye that healthy epithelium excludes; uptake marks cells whose membranes are damaged, and exposed corneal stroma also stains. In vitro, chemically permeabilized cells show nuclear staining, while trypsin pretreatment does not induce uptake.
Warnings & Precautions
- Strip dye concentration: A single wetted strip measures about 0.17%, roughly five-fold below the 1% used for vital staining; 2 strips in 200 microliters for 5 minutes reach 1%.
- In vitro antiviral activity: 0.06% dye reduced HSV-1 plaque formation by more than 50% in cell culture; in a rabbit herpetic keratitis model it did not affect viral replication or recovery, so an effect on clinical viral culture is unproven.
Common Side Effects
- Ocular: Transient stinging on instillation of 1% solution, milder and shorter-lived than with 1% rose bengal (mean sensation 2.4 of 5 versus 4.6 in 12 keratoconjunctivitis sicca patients).
- Ocular, above 1%: Burning and discomfort with 2% and 3% solutions; a 2% fluorescein plus 1% dye mixture caused none.
- Adnexal: A 20 microliter instillation overflowed and stained lid and facial skin.
Pregnancy & LactationLimited data; potential risks to the fetus not well established
Pediatric UseAll ages