Oral antibiotic linked to RD

Patients taking oral fluoroquinolones may have an increased risk of retinal detachment.

A study of more than 4,300 Canadians with retinal detachments showed that 3.3 per cent of patients were using fluoroquinolones as compared just 0.6 per cent of control patients.

The drugs, often identifiable by the floxacin suffix, are commonly used to treat conditions such as bronchitis, pneumonia and prostatitis. They are known to cause damage to collagen and connective tissues such as the vitreous cortex which may, the authors claim, be a reason for the association.

Study limitations included the inability to control for trauma, to distinguish the type of detachment and a lack of information on patient drug history.