TOXIC EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY ON THE VISUAL ORGAN IN MALIGNANT NEOPLASMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Cancer therapies such as chemotherapy enhance the survival rates but come with side effects such as ocular toxicity which reduces the QoL.

To analyze the impact of chemotherapeutic agents on the visual system and the effects of visual loss on QoL.

An initial search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus was done based on keywords and the search resulted in 909 articles. Criteria include chemotherapy-induced ocular toxicity and QoL; the type of articles included in the study included randomized controlled trials, cohorts, and case reports published within the past decade. The synthesis of findings was done through the extraction of data and quality assessment.

The review pointed out different drugs that are known to cause ocular toxicity such as keratitis, conjunctivitis, retinopathy, optic neuropathy, and cataracts. Ocular complaints including visual changes, blurring of vision, and eye ache were frequently mentioned. These side effects, which developed several days to weeks after the treatment, affected the patient's functioning and quality of life. The ophthalmologic effects of sorafenib are best managed through early identification and a multiple-disciplinary approach with oncologists and ophthalmologists.

Chemotherapy-related ocular toxicity, often unnoticed, poses catastrophic threats to health-related quality of life. It is crucial to maintain early detection and follow-up to prevent severe effects and provide complete care for cancer patients. Future studies should focus on uncovering processes by which ocular toxicity occurs and identifying effective prevention methods.