To the Editor: I was interested in your article in the September 1964 Archives of Otolaryngology concerning the administration of fluoride in otosclerosis.
I wonder whether you are familiar with the article by Geall and Beilin in the British Medical Journal, Aug 8, p 355, "Sodium Fluoride and Optic Neuritis" and the editorial in which the Journal's editor warns against this type of treatment.
These authors stated that they were not aware of previous reports of ocular damage in man due to fluoride. I have reported on such cases. One1 exhibited cerebral macular retinopathy, the other2 "incipient degenerative changes in the retina." In both cases the diagnosis was confirmed by competent eye specialists. The condition was accompanied by other manifestations of chronic fluoride intoxication, namely chronic gastroenteritis, arthritis in the lumbar spine, and evidence of brain damage. The illness was reversible upon elimination of fluoridated water and recurred