Publication

Abstract : The recent paper on eye disorders associated with newer antiseizure drugs is an interesting work [1]. The authors tried to evaluate this association based on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) using a disproportionality analysis. I agree with the authors on the limited literature of adverse effects of newer antiseizure drugs [1]. Authors concluded that topiramate and lamotrigine were disproportionately associated with serious eye-related adverse events. Lacosamide, oxcarbazepine, and zonisamide were other ASDs associated with ocular adverse events. I would like to share my thoughts on eye-related adverse events of these drugs in children. Newer antiseizure drugs are being increasingly prescribed in children with drug-resistant epilepsies. Drugs like topiramate, zonisamide, lamotrigine, lacosamide, etc. have been are often used in young children with drug resistant epilepsies and epileptic encephalopathies [2–6]. Therefore, an analysis for age distribution for ocular adverse effects of these drugs would have been appealing. Although ocular adverse events due to newer antiseizure drugs such as topiramate have been reported in older children and adolescents, there are negligible reports in infants and young children [7]. The possible reasons for this discrepancy include age predisposition for these events based on the underlying pathogenetic mechanism (GABA related or other mechanisms), lack of identification of these events in young non-verbal children, and lack of objective and detailed assessment for these events in the published literature. Hence, future studies exploring these aspects in children are much needed.