Levaquin Linked to Double Vision

Portland, ORAs if tendinitis and tendon rupture were not serious enough Levaquin side effects, the antibiotic has now been linked to yet another side effect. The Levaquin medication, which already carries a warning about the risk of tendon ruptures and tendinitis, was linked in a study to an increased risk of diplopia (double vision). So patients who may have been concerned about Levaquin tendon ruptures may now have to be concerned about problems with their vision.

The study, which was published in the September issue of the journal Ophthalmology studied 171 case reports from the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side Effects, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the World Health Organization. Of those 171 cases, 20 were linked to Levaquin and 75 were linked to Cipro. Other drugs linked to double vision included Tequin, Avelox, Noroxin and Floxin. All are in a class of drugs known as fluoroquinolones and are used to treat infections, including bacterial or chronic bronchitis, sinusitis and urinary infections.

According to researchers, the number of cases linked to each medication was approximately proportional to the number of prescriptions that is written for each drug. This suggests that the problem is linked to the entire class of drugs rather than a specific drug itself.

Researchers noted that there does not appear to be a long-term effect on the eye: in each of the 53 reported cases where the patient stopped using the medication, vision returned to normal. However, in five cases where the patient started taking the medication again, the double vision reoccurred.

Diplopia can be a serious condition, in which a person experiences seeing two of a single object. Symptoms of diplopia include misalignment of one or both eyes, pain associated with eye movement, headache and nausea.

"According to the World Health Organization criteria, the relationship between fluoroquinolone therapy and diplopia is 'possible'," the study's authors wrote. The median time from the start of the fluoroquinolone use to diplopia was 9.6 days, although in individual cases, the onset ranged from one day to five months. Furthermore, 17 patients experienced concomitant tendinitis.

According to latimesblogs.latimes.com (September 1, 2009), the study's authors are not certain what causes the double vision but it is possible that the drug affects tendons controlling the eye, which in turn affects the patient's ability to focus.