Aripiprazole Induced Acute Transient Bilateral Myopia: A Case Report

Year 2015, Volume: 32 Issue: 2, 230 - 232, 01.04.2015

Hasan Karadağ Kadir Özdel Mutlu Acar

Abstract

Background: Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug. Acute transient myopia is a rare response to systemic medication. Unspecified ocular side effects of aripiprazole have rarely been reported. To the best of our knowledge, only 3 cases of aripiprazole induced myopia and diplopia have been reported in the literature. The aim of this article is to present a case of aripiprazole-induced acute transient myopia. Case Report: A 30 year-old woman underwent treatment for 5 days with aripiprazole and presented with bilateral painless blurred vision. The patient’s uncorrected visual acuity was 2/10 in both eyes and her best corrected visual acuity was 10/10 in both eyes with a refractive error of -3.00 diopters using a standard Snellen chart. Adding 2 mgs of biperiden a day to her treatment regimen decreased her blurred vision symptoms. After discontinuation of aripiprazole treatment and cross-switching to Paliperidon palmitate (75 mg/month) her blurred vision completely resolved. The same side effect did not re-occur when checked on her 6-month follow up. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists as well as psychiatrists must be aware of this myopic shift and should also ask these patients about medicine usage, especially aripiprazole. Ophthalmologists should consult the prescribing psychiatrist and stop the drug immediately to reverse this temporary condition.

Keywords

Aripiprazole, drug induced, myopia, transient

References

• 1. Swainston Harrison T, Perry CM. Aripiprazole: a review of its use in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Drugs 2004;64:1715-36. [CrossRef]
• 2. Burris KD, Molski TF, Xu C, Ryan E, Tottori K, Kikuchi T, et al. Aripiprazole, a novel antipsychotic, is a high-affinity partial agonist at human dopamine D2 receptors. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2002;302:381-9. [CrossRef]
• 3. Shapiro DA, Renock S, Arrington E, Chiodo LA, Liu LX, Sibley DR, et al. Aripiprazole, a novel atypical antipsychotic drug with a unique and robust pharmacology. Neuropsychopharmacology 2003;28:1400-11. [CrossRef]
• 4. Szawarski P, Hall-Thompson B. Acetazolamide-induced myopia at altitude. Wilderness Environ Med 2009;20:300-1. [CrossRef]
• 5. Milea D, Zech C, Dumontet C, Coiffier B, Trepsat C. Transient acute myopia induced by antilymphocyte globulins. Ophthalmologica 1999;213:133-4. [CrossRef]
• 6. Kaya H, Yılbas B, Dilbaz N, Yazar Z. Aripiprazole induced acute myopia: a case report. Bull Clin Psychopharmacol 2009;19(Suppl 1):147-8.
• 7. Selvi Y, Atli A, Aydin A, Yener HI. Aripiprazole-related acute transient myopia and diplopia: a case report. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2011;31:249-50. [CrossRef]
• 8. Nair AG, Nair AG, George RJ, Biswas J, Ghandi RA. Aripiprazole induced transient myopia: a case report and review of literature. Cutan Ocul Toxicol 2012;31:74-6. [CrossRef]
• 9. Berman RM, Fava M, Thase ME, Trivedi MH, Swanink R, McQuade RD, et al. Aripiprazole augmentation in major depressive disorder: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients with inadequate response to antidepressants. CNS Spectr 2009;14:197-206.
• 10. Berman RM, Marcus RN, Swanink R, McQuade RD, Carson WH, Corey-Lisle PK, et al. The efficacy and safety of aripiprazole as adjunctive therapy in major depressive disorder: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Clin Psychiatry 2007;68:843-53. [CrossRef]
• 11. Atlı A, Selvi Y, Yıldız A, Kaya MC. Aripiprozole-induced diplopia: a case report. BCP 2013;23:353-6. [CrossRef