A recent study has challenged the alleged risk of retinal detachment related to quinoline antibiotics. There are a multitude of severe side effects allegedly linked to quinolones, which includes serious eye injuries..

The Danish study that was published in the Nov. 26, 2014 issue of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), indicates that eye injuries are not risks to be concerned with in using quinolone antibiotics.

The study focused on Levaquin, Cipro, and other popular quinolones that are frequently prescribed to patients and were compared to a control group with non-quinolone antibiotics. Both groups were observed to see if any side effects occurred in the subjects’ eyes.

This study had observed the data from Denmark’s nationwide registry, which consisted of approximately 750,000 quinolone patients that were prescribed these drugs from 1997 through 2011. Of these hundreds of thousands of quinolone patients, approximately 566 cases of retinal detachment were identified.

While there were cases of eye injuries, the researchers did not consider the number to be significant enough to initiate concern. In fact, the scientists stated that the likelihood of quinolone retinal detachment were no higher than any other antibiotic.

Overview of Quinolone Eye Injury Complications

While nothing was conclusively proven in this study, it does suggest that further research is needed to be conducted into quinolone eye injuries. Retinal detachment is when the retina peels away from the underlying layer of support tissue, which could potentially result in vision damage.

The Danish study directly conflicts with prior quinolone studies, which showed a link between the antibiotics and eye injuries. For example, another study published in JAMA was conducted in British Columbia, observing nearly 1 million patients and identifying 4,400 cases of retinal detachment.

Furthermore, this earlier study estimates that one in 30 Levaquin or Cipro patients could result in retinal detachment, compared to the 167 patients who were not prescribed quinolones. However, researchers admitted that the risk of retinal detachment is very small.

However, Canadian medical experts warned in a more recent study, published in the summer of 2014, that antibiotic retinal detachment cases were severely under-reported.

Health Canada, the country’s FDA equivalent, agrees that it is very unlikely that a patient will report retinal detachment after using an antibiotic. Medical experts are particularly wary of quinolones for this side effect, because of its alleged side effect of tendon ruptures, which could be a trigger for retinal detachment. Essentially, the detachment and tendon ruptures are similar enough in nature, as the retina’s connective tissues keep it attached to the liquid of the eye ball, which is identical to the tendon rupture effect.

In another study, published in the October 2014 issue of JAMA Ophthalmology, the quinolone drugs Avelox and Cipro allegedly increased the risk of uveitis.

Affecting over 300,000 patients in the United States, this condition is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, to which retinal detachment is a symptom. According to the authors of this study, Avelox patients were three times more likely to develop uveitis only after 15 days of starting the prescription.

The study also found that first-time Cipro patients were twice as likely to experience uveitis. Unlike the study discussed previously, this JAMA study supports the previous findings of quinolone eye injuries.