Amiodarone keratopathy.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrhythmic medication.
• Ocular side effects of amiodarone are known but require further characterization.
• Corneal microdeposits are a common finding in patients on amiodarone therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence and severity of corneal microdeposits in patients treated with amiodarone.
• To assess the impact of amiodarone-induced keratopathy on visual acuity and patient-reported symptoms.
• To explore the relationship between cumulative amiodarone dose and corneal microdeposit density.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 38 patients receiving amiodarone.
• Dosage and duration of amiodarone treatment were recorded.
• Ophthalmic examination to assess corneal microdeposits and visual acuity.
• Grading of keratopathy severity (Grade I-III).

Main Results:

• All 38 patients developed visible corneal microdeposits.
• 95% of patients exhibited Grade I or II keratopathy with no visual impairment.
• 5% of patients presented with Grade III keratopathy, experiencing vision loss and visual disturbances (blurring, halos).
• A correlation between cumulative amiodarone dose and microdeposit density was observed, but with significant inter-patient variability.

Conclusions:

• Corneal microdeposits are an almost universal finding in patients on amiodarone.
• Amiodarone-induced keratopathy typically has a mild visual impact, but severe cases can affect vision.
• Patient-specific factors influence the development and density of corneal microdeposits, limiting the predictive value of cumulative dose alone.