Drug Study

If you have glaucoma, regular checkups and following your treatment plan can help slow or
prevent vision problems.
The focus of glaucoma treatment is to lower the pressure in your eye to protect your optic nerve.
To do that, your doctor might suggest you take eye drops or pills.

Eye Drops
Glaucoma treatment most often starts with these. They're used to help the fluid in your eyes drain
better. In some cases, they can also reduce the amount of fluid your eyes make.
There are several different types:
Prostaglandin analogs: These increase the amount of fluid that drains from your eyes. They
also ease the pressure inside your eye.
Side effects might include:

 Changes in eyelid skin color
 Blurred vision
 Stinging
 Redness
 Itching

Examples of this type of drop include:

 Bimatoprost (Lumigan)
 Latanoprost (Xalatan)
 Tafluprost (Zioptan)
 Travoprost (Travatan Z)

Beta blockers: These lower the amount of fluid your eye makes. That will lower the pressure.
Possible side effects include:

 Low blood pressure

 Trouble breathing
 Slower heart rate
 Lower sex drive
 Depression
 Fatigue

Examples of these drops include:

 Betaxolol (Betoptic)
 Timolol (Betimol, Timoptic)
Alpha-adrenergic agonists -- These drops help with drainage, like prostaglandin analogs do.
They also lessen the amount of fluid your eye makes.
Side effects could include:

 Burning or stinging
 High blood pressure
 Fatigue
 Headache
 Drowsiness
 Irregular heart rate
 Dry mouth

Examples of these drops include:

 Apraclonidine (Iopodine)
 Brimonidine (Alphagan P)

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: These are rarely used to treat glaucoma. They ease eye
pressure because they curb the production of fluid in your eye.
Possible side effects include:

 Stinging and burning eyes

 Bitter taste
 Blurred vision

Examples include

 Brinzolamide (Azopt)
 Dorzolamide (Trusopt)

Combined medications: Sometimes you'll be given two types of drops. It can save you time and
sometimes money. Side effects depend on the medicines in the drops.
Examples include:

 Timolol and dorzolamide (Cosopt)

 Brimonidline and timolol (Combigan)
 Brimonidine and brinzolamide (Simbrinza)

Cholinergic agents -- Rarely used for glaucoma, these drops help your eye make more fluid.
They also help your eye drain more liquid by making your pupil smaller.
Side effects can include:

 Blurred or dimmed vision

  Nearsightedness

Examples include pilocarpine (Carpine, Isopto).