Guest guest Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 Lori: I too am on plaquenil, and had my first eye exam a couple of weeks ago. I was also concerned with the eye problems that can happen while taking this medication. Some of the members here, informed me that it is a very, very rare chance that retina damage will happen. I asked the eye physician about it and he said that as long as you keep your routine eye exams, that they will let you know if there is any change. He said in his 15 years of eye care, he had only seen one case where it had affected the retina, and it was in a very old patient on planquenil, and he couldn't even say if it was just not normal degeneration, due to her age. So I feel confident in taking this medication, it helps me tremendously with the arthritis and lupus. It takes 12-24 weeks on this med to feel the full benefits of it, I have been on it for 6 weeks now and have my good and bad days, but there seems to be alot more good than bad anymore. Good luck, hope all works out for you....Sheri D. Lori <mousehouse5@...> wrote:Hey all... I am wondering if any other members in the group that are on Plaquenil have had any eye complications. My doctor has just put me on them and I am hesitant to take them due to the side effects. I have had cataracts and lost most of my sight in my right eye, so needless to say any drug with possible eye complications make me a bit apprehensive. Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 23, 2003 Report Share Posted May 23, 2003 thank you for your reply... I am going to see my opthamologist on June 6th and will talk it over with him. He has seen me through the worst times, and has gotten me to wear I am today. He will know if the risk is worth the benefit... Glad to hear of someone else's experience though. Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 Lori, Although plaquenil related eye problems are rare, I can understand your hesitation to take it considering your vision problems. Did you discuss your reservations with your doctor? If you feel strongly about not wanting to take it, there are many other options. Here are a few articles: Plaquenil-related Eye Problems http://eugeneeyecare.com/conditions/Plaquenil-related_Eye_Problems.html Drugs and the Eye http://www.richmondeye.com/drug1.htm The management of patients on plaquenil has been a controversial subject. Alot of the concerns are related to the problems caused by chloroquine, the predecesor to hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil). It was much more toxic to the retina and much more likely to cause permanent visual problems. Hydroxychloroquine, on the other hand, is much less toxic to the retina and there have been fewer reported eye problems. In general, a baseline ophthalmic examination should be performed upon initiation of therapy. In addition, a central visual field test and color photographs of the retina are usually taken at that time. There are differing opinions regarding subsequent follow-up exams. The most conservative opinion would include exams every 6 months with repeat visual fields every 6 to 12 months. My general feeling is to perform annual exams with visual field testing. One study determined that the risk of retina toxicity when patients are taking less than 6.5 mg per kilograms per day is rare. This means that a person weighing 150 lbs is likely to be safe if they are taking 200 mg twice daily. I calculate this number regularly and if the person is on more than 6.5 mg per kg per day than I will follow them more closely. http://www.medhelp.org/perl6/eyecare/archive/54.html a > Hey all... > > I am wondering if any other members in the group that are on > Plaquenil have had any eye complications. My doctor has just put me > on them and I am hesitant to take them due to the side effects. I > have had cataracts and lost most of my sight in my right eye, so > needless to say any drug with possible eye complications make me a > bit apprehensive. > > Lori > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 25, 2003 Report Share Posted May 25, 2003 So, Lori, are you having trouble seeing with your right eye because of a cataract or another reason? Are you going to have cataract surgery, or did you? [ ] Plaquenil... > Hey all... > > I am wondering if any other members in the group that are on > Plaquenil have had any eye complications. My doctor has just put me > on them and I am hesitant to take them due to the side effects. I > have had cataracts and lost most of my sight in my right eye, so > needless to say any drug with possible eye complications make me a > bit apprehensive. > > Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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