Hello @jip499 and welcome to Connect. You ask a good question. I found some information on Plaquenil on the WebMD website. Here is the link to that information,
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6986/plaquenil-oral/details.
As you can see, this medication is being used for many different health issues and is often prescribed for autoimmune disorders such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since your rheumatologist is prescribing this, perhaps you have RA or some other autoimmune disorder. Is that correct?

I can understand your concern about your vision, given your diagnosis of macular degeneration. Have you talked with your ophthalmologist about using Plaquenil? If not, I would suggest that you give his office a call and ask about any effects this med might have on your vision. As you probably know, everyone reacts differently to medications and one person's reaction might be different than yours.

As your rheumatologist is recommending this med, what symptoms are you trying to control with the Plaquenil?