Evaluation of the ocular safety of verapamil. Scheimpflug photography with densitometric image analysis of lens transparency in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy subjected to long-term therapy with high doses of verapamil.

The ophthalmic examination of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treated with high doses of verapamil over a considerable period of time showed no evidence of a side effect of the drug, thus proving its ocular safety. This could be verified by densitometric image analysis of Scheimpflug photographs of the eyes. The data were used for statistical tests on lens transparency. Changes in lens transparency, i.e. a probable drug-induced cataract were found in none of the patients.