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Observation
November 2015

Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomographic Imaging of Pigmented Retinal Pigment Epithelial Deposits in a Patient With Prolonged Minocycline Use

Author Affiliations
  • 1Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 2Mid Atlantic Retina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
JAMA Ophthalmol. 2015;133(11):1360-1362. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2015.2819

Minocycline hydrochloride is a synthetic tetracycline antibiotic used to treat conditions such as acne vulgaris, rosacea, rheumatoid arthritis, and bullous pemphigoid.1 Tetracycline antibiotics, and minocycline in particular, can cause a blue-black or slate-gray discoloration of tissues including the skin, nails, teeth, oral mucosa, thyroid, and bones.2 There are a few reported cases of minocycline-related ocular pigmentation, including reports of pigmentation of the sclera3-5 and conjunctiva4,6 and a single reported case of retinal pigmentation.4

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