Table 2.
Ocular adverse events associated with select tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and other small molecule inhibitors.
| TKI/Small molecule inhibitor | PMT | Cancer indication | Adverse ocular events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imatinib | BCR-ABL, cKIT, PDGFR | CML, GIST, ALL | Periorbital edema, conjunctival hemorrhage, blurred vision, dry eye, macular edema, optic disc edema (6, 34) |
| Dasatinib | BCR-ABL, SRC | CML, ALL | Periorbital edema, macular edema, optic disc edema (6, 34) |
| Nilotinib | BCR-ABL | CML | Periorbital edema, eyelid redness, chorioretinopathy, visual disturbances (6, 34). |
| Ponatinib | BCR-ABL, VEGFR, FGFR | CML | Retinal vein occlusion, macular edema, retinal hemorrhage, optic disc edema (15, 35) |
| Ibrutinib | BTK | CLL, MCL | Blurred vision, dry eye, uveitis, cystoid macular edema, ocular bleeding (34) |
| Ruxolitinib | JAK1/2 | Myelofibrosis, PV | Herpes zoster ophthalmicus with keratitis and uveitis (19) |
| Dabrafenib | BRAF | Melanoma | Uveitis, cystoid macular edema, uveal effusion, serous/exudative retinal detachment (36) |
| Vemurafenib | BRAF | Melanoma | Uveitis, conjunctivitis, dry eye, VKH-like syndrome (37) |
| Midostaurin | FLT3 | AML | Eyelid edema (~3%); rare blurred vision or photophobia; no consistent structural ocular signal in AML trials (20). |
| Gilteritinib | FLT3 | AML | Visual changes reported at low rates, including blurred vision, dry eye disease, and retinal hemorrhage (~6–7% each); rare differentiation syndrome which can include visual symptoms (21). |
| Erdafitinib | FGFR1–4 | Metastatic urothelial carcinoma | Central serous retinopathy, RPED, dry eye, PUK (38) |
| Crizotinib | ALK, ROS1 | NSCLC | Photopsia, blurred vision, vitreous floaters (39) |
| Venetoclax | BCL2 inhibitor | CLL, AML | Blurred vision (transient, non-pathologic) (40) |
Representative agents are listed with their primary molecular targets (PMT), approved cancer indications, and characteristic ocular toxicities. Reported events span benign, common findings (for example, periorbital edema with BCR-ABL inhibitors) to vision-threatening complications (for example, retinal vein occlusion with ponatinib, uveitis/CME with ibrutinib). Incidence and severity vary by agent and mechanism of action. Agents used outside hematologic malignancies (for example, BRAF or ALK/ROS1 inhibitors) are included where they illustrate class-specific ocular signals relevant to oncology practice.