Ocular Complications of Drugs Used in Rheumatic Disease

Abstract

Systemically administered medications have long been known to produce detectable ophthalmic signs. Some of these are benign, asymptomatic phenomena that do not require screening or regular follow-up, such as the vortex keratopathy characteristic of amiodarone use, but other medications are potentially toxic to the eye and can damage vision. Ocular toxicity is an established side-effect of several of the immunosuppressive medications in routine use in rheumatological disease, including hydroxychloroqine, but corticosteroids can also cause ocular side-effects in the form of cataract and raised intraocular pressure. Ocular side-effects often occur in a dose-related and reversible manner, but some toxicity reactions are idiosyncratic, irreversible or may progress despite cessation of treatment. Keywords: Corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine, maculopathy, cataract, retinitis, glaucoma, vortex, hydroxychloroqine, intraocular pressure., idiosyncratic, reactions, dose-related, spondyloarthro-pathies, cyclooxy-genase, thromboxanes, prostacyclin, prostaglandin, Aspirin,, retrobulbar optic neuritis, Celecoxib, rofecoxib, serous chorioretinopathy, metamorphopsia, Methotrexate, dihydrofolate reductase, Cyclosporin, intraocular lymphoma, uveitis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylo-sing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel-associated arthritis, juvenile inflammatory arthritis, induce Stevens-Johnson syndrome, ocular chrysiasis, dermatitis herpetiformis, myelopexoxidase, Sjögren's syndrome, Choosing between Targeted Therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: The Oncology Perspective, carcinogenesis, biologics, malignancy, utoimmunity, RITUXIMAB, CD20 antigen, X-linked hypogammaglobuline-mia, nonhematopoietic murine, biologic therapy, cell lung cancer, DMARDs, I