Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0344232 (blurred vision)
 2,072 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Diplopia, blurred vision and colour disturbances are well-known side effects associated with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue colour test (F-100) is an accepted and sensitive tool to detect changes in colour perception. To determine the impact of AEDs upon colour vision, we evaluated 37 consecutive patients with complex partial seizures exposed to monotherapy with phenytoin (PHT, carbamazepine (CBZ) or valproic acid (VPA). All had normal IQ and no congenital disturbances in colour vision or ocular diseases. Twenty normal controls were used for statistical analysis. Thirteen patients were exposed to PHT, 12 to CBZ and 12 to VPA. Visual colour perception was impaired in 30/37 (82%) of the study group. The most significant abnormality was detected in the blue-yellow axis in 10/13 patients exposed to PHT (p < 0.02) and in 8/12 treated with CBZ (p < 0.009). In 8/12 patients taking VPA, no significant abnormality was observed (p < 0.06). None of the studied patients complained of colour vision disturbances. Our findings strongly support the negative effect of AEDs upon colour vision discrimination, most likely due to changes at the retinal processing level. F-100 proved to be very useful to assess early toxicity due to AEDs.
 ...
PMID:Assessment of colour vision in epileptic patients exposed to single-drug therapy. 1034 50

Partial epilepsy comprises simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures, and secondarily generalized seizures, and covers more than 60% of patients with epilepsy. Antiepileptic drugs are generally considered to be the major therapeutic intervention for epilepsy but, despite a broad range of commonly used antiepileptic drugs, approximately 30% of adult patients and approximately 25% of children with epilepsy have inadequate seizure control. Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a novel voltage-gated sodium channel-blocking agent with presumed good safety and efficacy for adjunctive treatment of patients with drug-resistant partial epilepsy. ESL is a prodrug of eslicarbazepine (the active entity responsible for pharmacologic effects), and is rapidly and extensively hydrolyzed during first pass by liver esterases after oral administration. The half-life of eslicarbazepine at steady-state plasma concentrations is 20-24 hours, compatible with once-daily administration. ESL 800 mg and 1200 mg significantly reduces seizure frequency and shows a favorable safety profile in adult patients with drug-resistant partial-onset seizures, as demonstrated in previous Phase II and III trials. In children, ESL showed a clear dose-dependent decrease in seizure frequency with good tolerability. The most commonly reported adverse events associated with ESL are dizziness, somnolence, nausea, diplopia, headache, vomiting, blurred vision, vertigo, and fatigue. In conclusion, these characteristics suggest that ESL might be a valid and well tolerated treatment option for patients with drug-resistant partial-onset epilepsy. The convenience of once-daily dosing and a short, simple titration regimen would be of special interest for children, although conclusive published data are lacking to date. Hence, there is an urgent need to establish the therapeutic value of ESL in this special population in the near future.
 ...
PMID:Update on treatment of partial onset epilepsy: role of eslicarbazepine. 2112 91