OHSU Researchers Identify Ocular Side Effects of Commonly
Prescribed Drugs for Osteoporosis 03/20/03 Portland, Ore. Drug-
induced eye inflammation can cause vision loss, blindness if not
caught early enough The research, which is printed in the March
20 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, details how
two medications in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates can
cause inflammation in several regions of the eye in some
patients. Bisphosphonates are used to increase bone density.
Loss of bone density is often caused by osteoporosis. Lung,
breast or prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the
bones can also cause a reduction in bone density. In cancer
patients, bisphosphonates are normally provided in conjunction
with chemotherapy or other anticancer treatments. "While these
side effects are rare and do not occur in most patients, we
consider this a major finding due to the fact that some types of
eye inflammation such as scleritis, can cause vision loss or
even blindness if gone untreated,"