Exposure to hair dye caused vision-threatening retinopathy in three women, according to a report in JAMA Ophthalmology.
The retinopathy was associated with the use of hair dye aromatic amines (RAHDAA),1 and resolved within months after discontinuing the hair dye.
The team, lead by Dr Nicolas Chirpaz, Chirpaz’ team believes that aromatic amine chemicals such as para-phenylenediamine disrupt a neurochemical pathway that’s essential to the health of retinal pigment epithelial cells.
Cases of retinopathy associated with the use of hair dye aromatic amines remain rare, the researchers said, but eye health professionals should be on the alert to the possibility when people show up with any retinopathy that doesn’t have an easy explanation, the French team said.
Cases of retinopathy associated with the use of hair dye aromatic amines remain rare
Reference
Chirpaz NBricout MElbany S, et al. Retinopathy associated with hair dye. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online September 12, 2024. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.3453.