Vision Loss Associated With the Opioid Epidemic | Ophthalmology | JAMA Ophthalmology | JAMA Network
Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy | Continue
[Skip to Navigation]
Access to paid content on this site is currently suspended due to excessive activity being detected from your IP address 18.207.129.82. Please contact the publisher to request reinstatement.
JAMA Network Home
JAMA Ophthalmology
full text icon
Full Text
 contents icon
Contents
 figure icon
Figures /
Tables
 multimedia icon
Multimedia
 attach icon
Supplemental
Content
 references icon
References
 related icon
Related
 comments icon
Comments
1.
Rudd  RA, Aleshire  N, Zibbell  JE, Gladden  RM.  Increases in drug and opioid overdose deaths: United States, 2000-2014.  MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;64(50-51):1378-1382.PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
2.
Wu  ZH, Chan  RP, Luk  FO,  et al.  Review of clinical features, microbiological spectrum, and treatment outcomes of endogenous endophthalmitis over an 8-year period.  J Ophthalmol. 2012;2012:265078.PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
3.
Shamsuddin  D, Tuazon  CU, Levy  C, Curtin  J.  Bacillus cereus panophthalmitis: source of the organism.  Rev Infect Dis. 1982;4(1):97-103.PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
4.
World Medical Association.  World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects.  JAMA. 2013;310(20):2191-2194. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281053PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
5.
Gregori  NZ, Feuer  W, Rosenfeld  PJ.  Novel method for analyzing Snellen visual acuity measurements.  Retina. 2010;30(7):1046-1050.PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
6.
Morrison  A, Elliott  L, Gruer  L.  Injecting-related harm and treatment-seeking behaviour among injecting drug users.  Addiction. 1997;92(10):1349-1352.PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
7.
Tirpack  AR, Duker  JS, Baumal  CR.  An outbreak of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis among intravenous drug abusers in New England.  JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(6):534-540.PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
This Issue
Views 1,732
Citations 3
View Metrics
Research Letter
December 2017

Vision Loss Associated With the Opioid Epidemic

Preston M. Luong, BA1; Edmund Tsui, MD2; Nikhil Batra, MD3; et al Christopher B. Chapman, MD3; Michael E. Zegans, MD3
Author Affiliations Article Information
  • 1Currently a medical student at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
  • 2Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York
  • 3Section of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(12):1449-1451. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2017.4868
visual abstract icon
Visual
Abstract
 editorial comment icon
Editorial
Comment
 related articles icon
Related
Articles
 author interview icon
Interviews
 multimedia icon
Multimedia

The United States experienced a tripling in the number of opioid overdose deaths from 2000 to 2014. In particular, the Northeast region has the highest age-adjusted rate of deaths associated with drug use, at 16.1 per 100 000 persons.1 In New Hampshire, the rate is even higher, at 26.2 per 100 000 persons.1

A devastating sequela of injection drug use (IDU) is endogenous endophthalmitis (EE).2 Injection drug use can lead to transient microbial bloodstream infection from use of a nonsterile injection apparatus, which can seed ocular infection.3 The prognosis of EE is poor, with nearly 50% of affected eyes having no light perception despite treatment.2 We investigated clinical characteristics of IDU vs non-IDU EE at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), Lebanon, New Hampshire, during the opioid epidemic.

×