By Gina Shaw
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus as well as to prevent and treat malaria, carries a well-known risk for permanent vision loss through development of bilateral bull’s eye maculopathy. The drug should not be used in patients with retinal or visual field changes. But updated guidelines to minimize vision loss from HCQ have not been adopted in many ophthalmologic practices, according to recent research from the