| Abstract: | In January and again in April 1985, a 30-year old woman received 150 mg injections of Depo-Provera for contraception. 3 days after the 2nd injection, she experienced blurred vision in both eyes and was diagnosed as having bilateral papilledema. Her vision improved after treatment with vitamin B1 and other drugs. But optic atrophy of the right eye and papilledema of the left eye remained. In July 1985, after an injection with Depo-Provera, her vision again worsened. The woman received no more Depo-Provera after this time. In early 1987, she was referred to Beijing's Tong Ren Hospital, where she was diagnosed as having bilateral ischemic papillopathy and optic atrophy. There have been few documented cases in medical literature of ocular complications related to use of contraceptives. In 1981, Petursson et al. reported a case of macula edema resulting from oral contraceptives. In animal studies, oral contraceptives have been linked to papilledema and retinal vein obstruction. The case reported here is the 1st to link use of Depo- Provera with ocular complications. |
