New trends in early diagnosis of hydroxychloroquine toxic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Toxic retinopathy is an uncommon sequella in the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). We present two cases of HCQ toxic retinopathy, as well as a discussion on how to diagnose and manage early toxicity findings;

CASE REPORTS: Two cases are presented of patients who experienced toxic effects of HCQ therapy. The first patient had bull's eye maculopathy confirmed with visual field testing and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The second patient had early signs of toxic maculopathy validated by repeat visual field and OCT testing;

CONCLUSIONS: Management of toxic maculopathy includes the cessation of hydroxychloroquine, continued monitoring of the toxic effects and optimizing the remaining vision. The irreversible and potential devastating effect of HCQ toxic maculopathy underscores the importance of early diagnosis and working with the patient's rheumatologist.