Managing Ocular Symptoms and Comorbidities with ADC Use: When to Involve Ophthalmologists

In this segment, the panel explores how medical oncologists should approach differentiating ocular comorbidities from ADC-related toxicities and when to involve ophthalmology. The panel raises the practical challenge of sorting through baseline conditions such as cataracts or age-related changes versus treatment-emergent symptoms. They emphasize that given the established ocular risk profiles of several ADCs—particularly those requiring steroid and lubricating eye-drop protocols—their threshold for referral is low. Even mild symptoms often warrant lubricating drops initially, with escalation to ophthalmology if improvement is not seen.

The expert ophthalmologist notes that as ADCs become more widely used, ophthalmology will naturally become a routine member of the multidisciplinary care team, much like pulmonology and cardiology. She stresses that community oncologists will also develop consistent ophthalmology partnerships. The moderator closes the discussion by acknowledging the knowledge gap on the oncology side and reiterating the importance of recognizing true emergencies, reinforcing how critical ophthalmologic input is in safely managing ADC-associated ocular events.