Table of Contents
Medications
Nearly all glaucoma medications are prescribed to reduce eye pressure.
Beta-blockers (Timolol and Others)
Topical beta-blockers are the drugs most often prescribed to treat glaucoma. They lower the pressure inside the eye by inhibiting the production of aqueous humor.
Brands. These drugs are categorized as either nonselective or selective beta-blockers:
- Nonselective adrenoceptor beta-blockers. Timolol (Timoptic, Betimol) has been the standard beta-blocker for years. Newer nonselective drugs include levobunolol (Betagan), carteolol (Ocupress), and metipranolol (OptiPranolol).
- Selective beta1-adrenoceptor blockers. Betaxolol (Betoptic) and levobetaxolol (Betaxon) are selective beta-blockers. These drugs may have fewer adverse effects on the heart than the nonselective beta-blockers, although they still have widespread effects.
All beta-blockers work well and generally well tolerated. Because they cause less eye irritation than many other glaucoma medications, they are often prescribed for patients who also have cataracts.
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Review Date: 06/23/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
