Mercurialentis refers to deposition of mercury in the lens of the eyes. It is also referred to as the brown reflex because of the change in color that accompanies the deposits.
History: exposure to mercury, usually chronic. The exposure may have been years previous.
Features:
(1) The lenses are a light brown to coffee brown in color.
(2) The involvement is bilateral and symmetrical.
(3) The deposits involve the anterior capsule or the anterior surface of the lens.
Other ocular findings associated with mercury poisoning include:
(1) punctate keratitis
(2) bluish gray deposits at the periphery of Descemet membrane
(3) bluish gray deposits about conjunctival blood vessels
(4) lens opacities
(5) increased vascularity at the corneoscleral junction
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