When you take hydroxychloroquine, a medication used to treat malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Also known as Plaquenil, it helps calm overactive immune responses—but it can quietly damage your eyes over time. This isn’t a rare side effect. Studies show up to 7% of people who take it daily for five years or more develop retinal toxicity, a condition where the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye starts to break down. And once the damage is done, it often doesn’t stop—even if you quit the drug.
Most people won’t notice anything wrong until it’s too late. Unlike a headache or stomach upset, hydroxychloroquine eye damage, often called chloroquine retinopathy, doesn’t hurt. You won’t feel it. You might start missing small details—a face across the room, the edges of text on a screen, or colors seeming duller. By then, the cells in your retina are already gone. The risk goes up with higher doses, longer use, kidney problems, or if you’re over 60. If you’re on this drug for lupus or arthritis, you’re likely taking it for years. That’s why regular eye checks aren’t optional—they’re life-changing.
It’s not just about avoiding blindness. It’s about catching the problem early enough to stop it. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a baseline eye exam within the first year of starting hydroxychloroquine, then yearly after five years—or sooner if you have risk factors. These aren’t just routine checkups. They’re specialized tests—like OCT scans and visual field testing—that look for tiny changes most doctors won’t catch without the right tools. If you’re taking this medication, ask your eye doctor if they’ve checked for retinal toxicity before. If they haven’t, it’s time to push for it.
There’s no magic fix once damage starts. But if you catch it early—before the retina shows clear scarring—you can stop the drug and often preserve your vision. That’s why knowing the signs matters more than you think. You don’t need to be scared of hydroxychloroquine. But you do need to be smart about it. The posts below give you real, practical advice: how to track your vision at home, what your eye doctor should be looking for, how to talk to your rheumatologist about risks, and what alternatives exist if the eye damage warning is too high for you. This isn’t theoretical. It’s about protecting something you can’t replace: your sight.
Many medications cause halos and light sensitivity-some can lead to permanent eye damage. Learn which drugs are risky, how to spot early signs, and what steps to take to protect your vision before it's too late.
