Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference the resident/student will have an understanding of the effects of systemic drugs on the retina and will be able to:
Describe the anatomy and physiology of the retina as it relates to mechanisms of retinal drug toxicity
List the systemic drugs that are known to have adverse effects on the retina including:
- chloroquine
- hydroxychloroquine
- vigabatrin
- phenothiazines
- sildenafil
- digoxin
- ethambutol
- tamoxifen
- desferrioxamine
Describe the incidence, symptoms, signs, monitoring protocols and prognosis for toxicity related to these medications.
Reading Assignment: There appears to be a very short section covering Systemic Drug Toxicity in the Retinal Degenerations associated with Systemic Disease chapter of the Retina and Vitreous volume of the BCSC. For more detail you may wish to read Drugs and the Retina by Constable and Pirmohamed from Expert Opinions on Drug Safety 2004.
