CHLOROQUINE AND HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE TOXICITY

Course overview

CHLOROQUINE OR HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, A LESS TOXIC METABOLITE OF CHLOROQUINE, CAN CAUSE PATHOLOGIC OCULAR DAMAGE UNLESS STRICT PRESCRIBING AND SCREENING GUIDELINES ARE FOLLOWED. OCULAR DAMAGE DUE TO THESE MEDICATIONS CAN INCLUDE CORNEAL DEPOSITS, POSTERIOR SUBCAPSULAR LENS OPACITY, CILIARY BODY DYSFUNCTION, MACULAR PIGMENT LOSS, PERIPHERAL BONE SPICULE FORMATION, VASCULAR ATTENUATION, AND OPTIC DISC PALLOR. OCULAR SYMPTOMS OF RETINOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH THESE MEDICATIONS CAN INCLUDE BLURRED VISION, PARTIAL LOSS OF CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL VISION AND IN THE LATER STAGE, LOSS OF NIGHT VISION. SYMPTOMS OF CORNEAL DEPOSITS INCLUDE HALOES AND GLARE. CLINICAL RESEARCH HAS RESULTED IN PRECISE SCREENING PROTOCOLS AND SAFE DOSING GUIDELINES TO PREVENT OCULAR TOXICITY AND DETECT RETINAL DAMAGE AT AN EARLY STAGE. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE OPHTHALMIC EVALUATION AND POTENTIAL PATHOLOGIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS ON CHLOROQUINE OR HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, REVIEWS CURRENT OPHTHALMIC SCREENING GUIDELINES FOR PATIENTS TAKING THESE MEDICATIONS, REVIEWS TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR OCULAR TOXICITY RELATED TO THESE MEDICATIONS, AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR THIS PATIENT POPULATION.