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Amiodarone keratopathy

T G Klingele, L E Alves, E P Rose

    Annals of Ophthalmology
    |December 1, 1984
    PubMed

    Insights

    Amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic drug, caused corneal microdeposits in all patients studied. While most cases had minimal vision impact, some experienced visual disturbances, indicating a dose-related effect with patient variability.

    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.

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