Optic neuritis secondary to antiandrogen therapy

Abstract

Known side-effects of cyproterone acetate include retinal vascular disorder and retinal vein thrombosis, but an association with optic neuritis had not been described to date. There was a temporal relationship between cessation of the medication and improvement in visual symptoms. This implies that discontinuation of the offending drug constitutes the basis of treatment in drug-induced optic neuropathy.

Clinical electrophysiology of the optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells

“…PR-VEP amplitude reduction is a hallmark finding in cases of toxic optic neuropathy [ 142 – 145 ] and VEP responses can be subnormal even after visual acuity recovery suggesting persistence of subclinical changes [ 146 , 147 ]. However, VEPs performed in isolation cannot localise the functional deficit to the level of the optic nerve and must be performed in conjunction with pattern and flash ERG to confirm RGC and/or optic nerve functional deficit with a normally functioning outer retina [ 148 , 149 ].…”

Potential Ophthalmological Side Effects Induced by Anti-Neoplastic Regimens for the Treatment of Genitourinary Cancers: A Review

“…These symptoms usually last less than one to two hours, but they can sometimes persist for more than three to four weeks [17,18]. Although robust cause-and-effect relationship data are lacking, antiandrogens have also been linked to pseudotumor cerebri, cataracts, and optic neuritis [19][20][21][22].…”