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Sunday, March 05, 2006

Which Glaucoma Eyedrop Works Best?
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Clinicians are justifiably skeptical of glaucoma research that touts the effectiveness of a new prescription eyedrop. The authors (researchers) are often affiliated with the same company that manufactures and markets the medication.

One way to get around this controversy is to perform a meta-analysis - gather ALL relevant published research data about the topic. Of eight popular eyedrops prescribed for the treatment of glaucoma, bimatoprost, latanoprost, travoprost, and timolol are the most effective IOP-reducing drugs in primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension patients, according to a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

The meta-analysis was recently published in the journal Ophthalmology. After retrieving 820 articles through a computerized search, 793 were excluded due to various ineligibility factors. The remaining articles reported on 28 randomized clinical trials involving nearly 7,000 volunteers.

The results of the study confirmed that all eight drugs evaluated in the meta-analysis do lower intraocular pressure more effectively than a placebo, with Bimatoprost (a prostaglandin analog) achieving the highest pressure reduction (33 percent).

Glaucoma patients might want to share this item with their eye doctor.


Related Topics: Eye Problems Linked to Diabetes, Eye on New Vision Procedures

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Posted by: Dr. Lloyd at 1:01 AM

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