03 February 2022
BMJ Case Reports authors have described their treatment of a woman who experienced blurred distance vision after taking a single dose of medication for preventing altitude sickness.
The otherwise fit and healthy 44-year-old presented to eye casualty in Bournemouth the morning after she took a 125mg dose of oral acetazolamide.
She took the medication in preparation for a hiking trip to Everest base camp.
Sharing her experience within the case report, the patient noted that she had been advised to sample the medication before her trip in case there were side effects.
“This turned out to be really valuable advice. I took half of the prescribed daily dose on Sunday evening, but it was Monday morning I woke to find my eyesight had changed dramatically,” she said.
She shared that everything in the distance became a blur, while bright lights and headlights looked like “exploding fireworks.”
“Everything had a black outline edge, people looked like they had very heavy black eyeliner with no definition to their faces,” the patient observed.
The authors noted that on examination the patient had myopia and bilateral choroidal effusions.
The patient was advised to stop taking acetazolamide and use steroid eye drops four times a day.
She shared that it took three days before her eyesight began to return to normal, and seven days before it was fully restored.
“At first when there was no change I was panicked thinking this was it, my life was changed for ever and I had totally lost my independence. The relief when I woke on the fourth morning to find there was marked improvement was immense,” the patient emphasised.
The case report authors highlighted that ophthalmic side effects caused by acetazolamide are “very rare.”
However, patients who take this medication should be advised to carry out a trial in a safe environment.
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