Ophthalmic complications related to chemotherapy in medically complex patients

Abstract

Background: Systemic cancer therapies cause a variety of ophthalmic complications. Mitigating harmful adverse events involves screening patients at risk for ocular injury and vision loss. Methods: A review of the relevant literature on the ophthalmic complications of cancer therapy was used to formulate an approach to screening patients for serious complications presenting at a nonophthalmic specialty center. Results: Rarely, ocular complications of cancer therapy can occur. Establishing a causal association for any given agent is complicated because many treatment-related adverse events result in symptoms and ocular findings indistinguishable from primary eye disorders. Conclusions: Recognizing potentially serious ocular complications of cancer therapy before they result in irreversible injury starts with taking a relevant clinical history and performing a basic eye examination, including assessments of visual acuity and fields. Given the wide range of treatment-related adverse events and the challenges of diagnosis, the screening process plays an important role in expediting referral to an ophthalmologic specialist.