TY - JOUR T1 - Retinopathy in the Era of Routine Hydroxychloroquine Monitoring JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1254 LP - 1254 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.151436 VL - 43 IS - 6 AU - ERIC WEINLANDER AU - ALEXANDER L. RINGEISEN AU - MIHAI MITITELU Y1 - 2016/06/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/6/1254.abstract N2 - To the Editor:Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a vital component of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treatment, but it carries a significant risk of irreversible blindness from HCQ retinopathy. HCQ retinopathy is relatively rare, but new, more sensitive diagnostic techniques report a prevalence of up to 7.5%1. Moreover, HCQ retinopathy may progress even after cessation of therapy2, so early detection and primary prevention are critical. Currently, primary prevention consists of controlling the daily dose and/or cumulative dose to prevent overdosage3. We therefore read with great interest “Hydroxychloroquine Blood Levels in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Clarifying Dosing Controversies and Improving Adherence” by Durcan, et al4 in The Journal of Rheumatology. We point out the implications of their findings for the use of weight-based dosing and the evidence base for HCQ retinopathy prevalence.In their study, Durcan, et al described how regularly measuring blood levels of HCQ in patients with SLE resulted in a higher … Address correspondence to E. Weinlander, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2870 University Avenue, Suite 206, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA. E-mail: eweinlander{at}wisc.edu ER -