Glaucoma Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Glaucoma, including details on cataracts, surgery, treatment, blindness.

Brinzolamide.

Iester M

University of Genoa, Laboratorio clinico anatomo-funzionale per diagnosi e il trattamento del glaucoma e della malattie neurooftalmologiche, Clinica Oculistica, Department of Neurological Sciences, Ophthalmology, Genetic, Italy. iester@unige.it

Primary open-angle glaucoma is a multifactorial optic neuropathy characterized by the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells and their axons. However, the primary risk factor is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), which can damage the optic nerve head (ONH) and until now was the only treatable risk factor. Brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension 1% is a topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor that is prescribed to lower IOP up to 18% from baseline and can improve retinal blood flow. No significant change was found in corneal thickness and corneal endothelium cell density after 18 months of brinzolamide 1% treatment. In clinical trials, brinzolamide 1% has been shown to be able to reduce IOP when administered as monotherapy, adjunctive therapy or after cataract surgery. Adverse events related to brinzolamide treatment, occurring at the time of instillation, tended to be mild and nonserious. The most common non- ocular adverse event was taste perversion. In the revised studies, there were no clinically significant differences from baseline in heart rate and blood pressure, and laboratory values for haematology, blood chemistry and urinalysis variables did not show any changes.

Published 3 March 2008 in Expert Opin Pharmacother, 9(4): 653-62.
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