Ocular flare-up in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus following discontinuation of hydroxychloroquine.

In this report, we describe two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who manifested with posterior segment flare-up approximately three months after cessation of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). They were stable systemically with no history of hypertension or nephropathy at the time of referral. Our first patient presented with bilateral retinal vein occlusion, while evidence of choroidal involvement such as vascular leakage and wedge-shaped filling delay was present in indocyanine green angiography of both patients. HCQ is well known to have a role in the treatment of SLE for its immunomodulatory and antithrombotic effects. Although reports of systemic flare-up of SLE following HCQ cessation exist in the literature, this is the first report of ocular flare-up in such settings.