Prostaglandin analogues (PGAs), popular anti-glaucoma medications designed to lower intraocular pressure and counter the main cause of the disease, are not without risk. It has long been known that they can cause, inter alia, blurred vision, dry eye and change in iris color.
Now scientists from the USA have added to the list of side effects caused by these drugs, drooping of the upper and lower eyelids – a problem not only of an aesthetic nature, but also disturbing vision. The discovery was published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary researchers conducted a large, cross-sectional study of glaucoma patients that looked at the anatomy of their eyes. 343 patients qualified for it: 186 women and 157 men. In the analysis, they took into account factors such as the patient’s age, race, body mass index (BMI), general health, and concomitant use of other (except PGAs) anti-glaucoma medications. They wanted to find out if the ptosis was caused solely by the intake of prostaglandin analogues, or whether it was caused by some of these factors.
“We were able to establish with certainty that it is PGAs that contribute to the loss of periorbital fat, which causes eyelid skin sagging and drooping,” says one study author Dr. Louis R. Pasquale of Massachusetts and Eye Ear Infirmary and professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. ‘This discovery should lead to a re-labeling of PGAs to include more information in their package leaflets on possible side effects, such as drooping upper eyelid, which exacerbates pre-existing visual field problems.’
“Worryingly, prostaglandin analogues are the first line of treatment for glaucoma; is the so-called first-line drugs. Our results, however, should make doctors wonder whether it is really wise to start treating new patients with these drugs. It is especially worth considering in people who are at risk of developing glaucoma, such as those with intraocular hypertension, ‘concluded Dr Pasquale. (PAP)
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