Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2025
07:23
Retinal Vascular Reactivity as Assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Published on: March 26, 2020
7.6K
Tamoxifen retinopathy: A comprehensive review
Stephen Tenney1, Aruoriwo Oboh-Weilke2, David Wagner2
1Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
Survey of Ophthalmology
|July 23, 2023
Summary
Tamoxifen, a breast cancer drug, can cause retinopathy in up to 12% of patients. Early optical coherence tomography screening every 6 months is recommended for patients on long-term tamoxifen therapy.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Tamoxifen is a crucial selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for breast cancer treatment.
- Retinal toxicity is a known side effect of tamoxifen therapy.
- Long-term use, particularly at 20 mg/day for over 2 years, increases the risk of retinopathy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the incidence and characteristics of tamoxifen-induced retinopathy.
- To discuss current management strategies and their limitations.
- To recommend screening protocols for early detection.
Main Methods:
- Review of case reports and existing studies on tamoxifen retinopathy.
- Analysis of reported retinal changes and visual acuity outcomes.
- Evaluation of potential treatment interventions and screening methods.
Main Results:
- Retinopathy affects up to 12% of patients on tamoxifen 20 mg/day for >2 years.
- Symptomatic visual acuity changes occur in half of affected patients.
- Retinal changes include crystalline deposits, macular edema, hyperreflective deposits, and telangiectasia.
Conclusions:
- Discontinuing tamoxifen may not reverse visual acuity loss once established.
- Intravitreal therapies require further investigation.
- Recommend 6-month optical coherence tomography (OCT) screening for patients on tamoxifen for ≥2 years to monitor for retinal changes.
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