Amiodarone-Associated Optic Neuropathy: Clinical Review

ABSTRACT

Amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic agent, has been associated with visual loss secondary to optic neuropathy. The reported mean duration of amiodarone use before visual loss is about 9 months. Patients receiving amiodarone have a 2-fold increased risk of developing optic neuropathy, especially in males and possibly in patients with longer duration of treatment. Amiodarone-associated optic neuropathy is characterised by an insidious onset, slow progression, bilateral simultaneous visual loss, and protracted disc swelling. After discontinuing amiodarone use, visual acuity and visual field deficits tend to improve or stabilise in most patients, with about 20% of the patients getting worse.

KEYWORDS:

• Amiodarone
• arrhythmia
• optic neuropathy

Funding

This work was supported by Taipei Veterans General Hospital grant VGH V105C-140 and Ministry of Science and Technology grant MOST 105-2314-B-075-048.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Taipei Veterans General Hospital grant VGH V105C-140 and Ministry of Science and Technology grant MOST 105-2314-B-075-048.