BMJ  2003;327:E77 (4 October), doi:10.1136/bmjusa.01110006 (published 4 September 2002)

BMJ USA: Filler

Tamoxifen retinopathy

This article originally appeared in BMJ USA

A 64 year old woman at routine follow up for glaucoma reported a few months' history of visual deterioration of both eyes. She had been taking tamoxifen 20 mg daily for eight years for a previously surgically excised breast adenocarcinoma. Funduscopy revealed deposition of fine crystals at both maculae consistent with tamoxifen maculopathy. This crystalline retinopathy is rarely seen with standard doses of tamoxifen, but when present it can cause a substantial progressive drop in visual acuity. The incidence of tamoxifen retinopathy is about 6% among patients who have taken the drug for five years. Stopping treatment prevents further deterioration but rarely allows complete recovery of visual function.



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Amar Alwitry, senior house officer, Iain Gardner, consultant, department of ophthalmology

Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, Derby DE1 2QY, UK

This item originally appeared in the October 20, 2001 issue of "BMJ" (323:944). Full text and related material are available on BMJ 's web site, bmj.com


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