Pathway for people who are taking Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine refreshed
15 February 2021
LOCSU pathway resources for people who are taking either Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine and require monitoring for retinopathy have been refreshed.
The RCOphth updated their guidelines at the end of last year, and the changes made within the RCOphth guideline are significant and have implications on the LOCSU pathway and clinical management guidelines.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists recommends annual monitoring for
hydroxychloroquine retinopathy for patients on long-term therapy. The LOCSU resources describe an integrated service model, meeting RCOphth guidelines, with monitoring for retinopathy delivered within an optical practice and virtual review provided by the hospital eye service (HES).
Key changes
- Baseline assessment is no longer required
- Visual field testing is only required if there is an abnormality on SD-OCT or Widefield FAF
Commenting on the changes Zoe Richmond, LOCSU’s interim Clinical Director said:
“Without baseline assessment, there will be a new challenge for service implementation; patients who are already taking Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine will need to be identified and triaged to understand when they become eligible for monitoring, most patients aren’t eligible until they’ve
been on therapy for 5years. This should be the responsibility of the prescribing doctor but with the current capacity issues in Hospitals and General Practice, it is likely they’ll look to the monitoring provider and wider system for support.”
Members may access the updated pathway by clicking here.