Abstract:

Objective To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy（EON）. Design Retrospective case series. Participants During June 2011 to June 2015, 18 patients were diagnosed as EON in People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital. Methods A retrospective chart review of 18 patients diagnosed as EON was performed, collecting and analyzing their demographic characteristics, clinical features． The patients were followed for 6~50 months. Main Outcome Measures Demographic characteristics, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), visual field, color vision, visual field and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. Results The mean age of affected patients was 40.56±12.57 years. 11 of them were men, and all of them were presented with blurry vision in both eyes. 30 eyes (83.3%, 30/36) had dyschromatopsia. 23 eyes (63.9%) showed central scotoma. The mean BCVA was 0.09±0.59 at first sight. The mean dose and duration of ethambutol were (17.06±5.62) mg/kg over (5.97±5.12) months. The period of follow-up was (30.27±16.18) months. The visual function recovery after discontinuation of ethambutol was seen in 6 of the 18 patients. Between the vision improved group and non-improved group, there was a statistically significant difference of the ethambutol daily dose (P=0.037). During the follow-up, 16 eyes of 8 patients were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT), which displayed RNFL thinning in temporal, superior and nasal side. Conclusions Ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy was more common in elderly men, and tended to involve both eyes. About 1/3 of the patients showed visual improvement after discontinuation of ethambutol. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2016, 25: 123-126)

Key words: ethambutol/side effect, optic neuropathy