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