An
ideal medicinal agent for the treatment of primary open angle glaucoma would be
a preparation for local application, which could reduce intraocular pressure
(IOP) to the level of “target pressure” and influence on numerous risk factors
in glaucoma. However, there is no preparation of this kind at present.
The
purpose of our work was to study a hypotensive and possibly neuroprotective
action of the most frequently used hypotensive preparations for the treatment
of glaucoma.
The
treatment of 200 patients (400 eyes) with primary open angle glaucoma was
carried out. For the treatment of the patients the following preparations were
used: normoglaucon, epinefrine 2%, dipivefrin 0,1%, Fotil, betoptic-S and
erisod. The period of therapy lasted for 6 months.
The
level of ophtalmotonus, changes of
central and peripheral field of vision, indices of glaucoma process
stabilization, and electrophysiological indices were controlled during our
investigation. All adverse events were also marked.
Fotil
was the most effective hypotensive drug among the studied preparations. It
reduced IOP by 34%. The hypotensive efficiency of other preparations ranged
between 24 at 31%. However, despite IOP normalization in the groups treated
with photil, normoglaucon, epinefrine, dipivefrin the progress of glaucoma process
was revealed in 12% of cases. It shows that the preparations influenced on the
level of IOP only, leaving other risk factors beyond attention.
The
applicftion of betoptic-S and its combination with erisod allowed not only to
normalize IOP but also maintain functions of vision in all the patients of
these groups during the whole term of observation. This fact together with the
positive dynamics of electrophysiological investigations allow us to suppose
that these medicinal agents have some definite neuroprotective action.