Characteristic retinal atrophy with secondary "inverse" optic atrophy identifies vigabatrin toxicity in children.

Objective: To describe the clinical pattern of retinal atrophy in children caused by the anticonvulsant vigabatrin.

Design: An interventional case series report.

Participants: One hundred thirty-eight patients, mainly infants, were evaluated regularly for evidence of possible vigabatrin toxicity in the Eye and Neurology clinics at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto.

Method: Sequential clinical and electroretinographic (International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision standards) evaluations every 6 months.

Main Outcome Measures: Presence of recognizable retinal and optic atrophy in the presence of abnormal electroretinogram (ERG) and other clinical findings.

Results: Three children being treated for seizures with vigabatrin showed definite clinical findings of peripheral retinal nerve fiber layer atrophy, with relative sparing of the central or macular portion of the retina and relative nasal optic nerve atrophic changes. Some macular wrinkling was evident in 1 case. Progressive ERG changes showing decreased responses, especially the 30-Hz flicker response, supported the presence of decreased retinal function.

Conclusions: A recognizable and characteristic form of peripheral retinal atrophy and nasal or "inverse" optic disc atrophy can occur in a small number of children being treated with vigabatrin. The changes in superficial light reflexes of the retina in children facilitate the clinical recognition of nerve fiber layer atrophy. The macula is relatively spared, although superficial retinal light reflexes indicating wrinkling of the innermost retina suggest early macular toxicity as well. Because these changes are accompanied by electrophysiologic evidence of retinal dysfunction, discontinuation of vigabatrin should be strongly considered.