[First unilateral, later bilateral optic neuropathy. Amiodarone as the cause?].
METHODS
Amiodarone has many severe side-effects and can cause keratopathy and neuropathy. We report the case of a 79-year-old male patient with progressive visual loss and papilloedema of the right eye during therapy with amiodarone. To reduce papilloedema he was treated with corticosteroids. Amiodarone therapy was then discontinued, but there was no considerable improvement and after 6 weeks visual loss occurred in the left eye as well.


CONCLUSIONS
With regard to the findings we consider this case to be an amiodarone-induced optic neuropathy. According to our knowledge only 19 cases have been reported in the literature but the results of one study indicate that the incidence of optic neuropathy is as high as 1.79%. The pathophysiology of the optic nerve damage remains unclear and an effective treatment is not available. It might be possible that the accelerated elimination of amiodarone with colestyramine could be suitable to prevent optic neuropathy of the second eye.
Uebermuth
C A
CA
Augenklinik Klinikum Wuppertal, Klinikum der Universität Witten/Herdecke, Heusnerstrasse 40, 42283 Wuppertal.
Gerke
E
E
D000368:Aged; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001766:Blindness / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D010211:Papilledema / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000187:drug effects
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000638:Amiodarone