Quinine--acute self-poisoning and ocular toxicity.

Quinine is widely prescribed as a treatment for nocturnal leg cramps. In acute overdosage, it may lead to significant ocular problems. This study reveals that some 30 patients were discharged from Greater Glasgow Health Board hospitals between 1988 and 1992 following acute self-poisoning with quinine. Six of these subjects had severe visual problems, two being registered as blind and another three as partially sighted. These observations, combined with the doubtful clinical efficacy of quinine, suggest that its continued widespread use should be reappraised.