Korean J Clin Pharm.  2019 Jun;29(2):133-137. 10.24304/kjcp.2019.29.2.133.

Visual Field Defect after Taking Atorvastatin/Ezetimibe, a Case Study

• Kim J
• Lee K
• Kim J
• Lee JM
• Kim NY
• Lee MS
• Ji E

• KMID: 2452862
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24304/kjcp.2019.29.2.133

Abstract

Atorvastatin is one of the most widely prescribed medications for dyslipidemia treatment. In Korea, post combined therapy with ezetimibe, a 73-year-old woman was reported by a community pharmacy to have experienced visual field defect, which recovered after drug discontinuation. She had never experienced this symptom before, and several studies have reported an association between use of statins and visual disorders such as blurred vision, diplopia, and cataract. Blockage of cholesterol accumulation, oxidative stress, or myopathy is expected to be a cause of this symptom. Naranjo scale, Korean causality assessment algorithm (Ver.2), and World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Center (WHO-UMC) criteria were the three tools used to determine causality between the visual disorder and atorvastatin. The results represent "˜probable', "˜certain', and "˜probable/likely' causality, respectively. Our results, in combination with a review of literature, indicate that ocular adverse effects are highly likely related to atorvastatin.

Keyword

Atorvastatin; visual field defect; adverse drug reaction; causality assessment

MeSH Terms

Aged
Atorvastatin Calcium
Cataract
Cholesterol
Diplopia
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Dyslipidemias
Ezetimibe
Female
Global Health
Humans
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Korea
Muscular Diseases
Oxidative Stress
Pharmacies
Vision Disorders
Visual Fields*
Atorvastatin Calcium
Cholesterol
Ezetimibe