Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

ERG findings in patients using hydroxychloroquine.

Radouil T Tzekov1, Alexandra Serrato, Michael F Marmor

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305-5308, USA.

Documenta Ophthalmologica. Advances in Ophthalmology
|April 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) can cause electroretinography (ERG) abnormalities, even without visible eye damage. Full-field ERG changes were not linked to HCQ dose or duration, but multifocal ERG showed toxicity patterns.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Children exposed to hydroxychloroquine in utero show no signs of retinal toxicity at age 5.

Lupus science & medicine·2026
Same author

REPLY.

Ophthalmology·2026
Same author

A New Visual Field for Hydroxychloroquine Screening.

Ophthalmology. Retina·2026
Same author

Special AAO Report: Recommendations on Screening for Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy (2025 Revision).

Ophthalmology·2025
Same author

Comment on: The Relationship of Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy Progression to Stage at Cessation of Therapy.

American journal of ophthalmology·2025
Same author

Lupus review is misleading about risk of hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity.

Survey of ophthalmology·2024

Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Pharmacology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is widely used for autoimmune diseases.
  • HCQ retinopathy is a known complication, typically diagnosed through clinical examination and visual field testing.
  • Early detection of HCQ toxicity is crucial to prevent irreversible vision loss.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate electroretinography (ERG) findings in patients using HCQ.
  • To assess both full-field ERG (ffERG) and multifocal ERG (mfERG) in relation to HCQ exposure duration and dose.
  • To identify subclinical signs of HCQ toxicity using ERG.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 26 patients (51 eyes) with 1-30 years of HCQ use.
  • Analysis of ffERG and mfERG results in conjunction with clinical evaluations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Classification of patients into groups based on ERG and clinical findings.

    • Main Results:

    • 13 patients had no abnormalities.
    • 2 patients showed cone b-wave delay.
    • 6 patients had decreased ERG amplitude.
    • 2 patients had borderline toxicity.
    • 3 patients exhibited toxicity (bull's-eye maculopathy).
    • Decreased oscillatory potential (OP) amplitudes were common, even without other abnormalities.
    • mfERGs were normal in asymptomatic patients but showed a bull's-eye pattern in toxic cases.
    • ffERG parameters, including OPs, showed minimal correlation with HCQ duration or cumulative dose.

    Conclusions:

    • A significant number of patients displayed diffuse ERG abnormalities without clinical signs of HCQ toxicity.
    • mfERG detected toxicity but its sensitivity for early changes requires further evaluation.
    • Distinguishing between HCQ's pharmacological effects, retinopathy from systemic disease, and toxic effects needs more research.