Oral Isotretinoin Resulting in Recurrence of LASIK-Treated Myopia: A Rare Side Effect

Abstract

Isotretinoin is an analog of vitamin A, used to treat severe, recalcitrant nodular acne, psoriasis and disorders of keratinization. However, its benefits come with a broad range of serious side effects, including ocular adverse effects. We report and describe a rare case of bilateral myopia in a female patient treated with oral isotretinoin for acne vulgaris. A female patient, 29-year old, presented to the office for blurry vision. The patient was treated with oral isotretinoin for four weeks. She had a past medical history of myopia precisely corrected with laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis without any residual refractive error. After a thorough examination and laboratory workup, isotretinoin was thought to be the causative agent of her current complaint, so it was immediately stopped. The follow-up showed no further decrement of visual acuity in the patient. However, the vision loss acquired as an adverse effect of oral isotretinoin persisted.