WEIRD SCIENCE

The antibiotic that can turn you blue

A MAN in Australia was admitted to hospital after the whites of his eyes turned blue.

On arrival at Central Coast Local Health District emergency department in New South Wales, the 73-year-old was also found to have blue-tinged skin.

Doctors discovered he had been taking minocycline, an antibiotic that can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, for more than a decade. Studies have found long-term use of the drug can result in skin hyperpigmentation, where patches change colour.

In a report published in the British medical journal Case Reports, clinicians noted that the tinge had not affected the man’s sight or health.