Medical Questions » Medicines Questions » Question No. 658
| Question: | I was exposed to malaria-carrying mosquitoes for 20 years, and had many severe attacks of malaria. Is there any evidence that the anti-malaria medications can affect the eyesight? |
| Answer: | Certain anti-malarial medications based on quinine, such as chloroquine, if used at high doses for long periods of time, can cause damage to the eyes in some people. The low doses used by most travellers cause no problems.
More sophisticated drugs are now used for the prevention of malaria, but for many years, quinine and its derivatives were the mainstay of prevention and treatment.
Quinine is now used by patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, as it can act to control this disease as well. These patients are required to see an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) on a regular basis to detect any early signs of eye damage.
It is likely that some if not most of your attacks of malaria were treated by a quinine drug at high doses for some weeks or months.
You would be well advised to ask your general practitioner for a referral to an eye specialist to ensure that your eyes have not been affected by quinine.
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