Skip to main content
The British Journal of Ophthalmology logoLink to The British Journal of Ophthalmology
. 1977 May;61(5):345–348. doi: 10.1136/bjo.61.5.345

Comparison of ocular hypotensive effects of acetazolamide and atenolol.

M J Macdonald, S M Gore, P M Cullen, C I Phillips
PMCID: PMC1042966  PMID: 326302

Abstract

The ocular hypotensive effect of single oral doses of (a) atenolol (50 mg), (b) acetazolamide (500 mg), (c) atenolol (50 mg) and acetazolamide (500 mg) in combination, and (d) vehicle (inert tablets) were compared in 8 patients with glaucoma. In this single-dose, double-masked trial the combination was observed as most effective in reducing ocular tension. Both the combination and atenolol performed markedly better than vehicle. That acetazolamide did not reduce ocular tension significantly more than vehicle is probably explained by relatively low initial ocular tensions. There was no evidence of interaction between atenolol and acetazolamide in this study. Acetazolamide probably remains the first-choice oral medication for glaucoma. It is cautiously suggested that beta-blocking drugs may have a future therapeutic role, but longer-term studies on larger numbers will be required to establish this.

Full text

PDF
345

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BECKER B. Decrease in intraocular pressure in man by a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, diamox; a preliminary report. Am J Ophthalmol. 1954 Jan;37(1):13–15. doi: 10.1016/0002-9394(54)92027-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bonomi I., Steindler P. Effect of pindolol on intraocular pressure. Br J Ophthalmol. 1975 Jun;59(6):301–303. doi: 10.1136/bjo.59.6.301. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Coté G., Drance S. M. The effect of propranolol on human intraocular pressure. Can J Ophthalmol. 1968 Jul;3(3):207–212. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Elliot M. J., Cullen P. M., Phillips C. I. Ocular hypotensive effect of atenolol (Tenormin, I.C.I.). A new beta-adrenergic blocker. Br J Ophthalmol. 1975 Jun;59(6):296–300. doi: 10.1136/bjo.59.6.296. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Macdonald M. J., Cullen P. M., Phillips C. I. Atenolol versus propranolol. A comparison of ocular hypotensive effect of an oral dose. Br J Ophthalmol. 1976 Nov;60(11):789–791. doi: 10.1136/bjo.60.11.789. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Norton A. L., Viernstein L. J. The effect of adrenergic agents on ocular dynamics as a function of administration site. Exp Eye Res. 1972 Sep;14(2):154–163. doi: 10.1016/0014-4835(72)90062-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Pandolfi M., Ohrström A. Treatment of ocular hypertension with oral beta-adrenergic blocking agents. Acta Ophthalmol (Copenh) 1974;52(4):464–467. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1974.tb01757.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Phillips C. I., Howitt G., Rowlands D. J. Propranolol as ocular hypotensive agent. Br J Ophthalmol. 1967 Apr;51(4):222–226. doi: 10.1136/bjo.51.4.222. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Phillips C. I., Macdonald M., Gore S. M., Cullen P. M. Atenolol eye drops. Br Med J. 1976 Dec 11;2(6049):1448–1448. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6049.1448-b. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Vale J., Gibbs A. C., Phillips C. I. Topical propranolol and ocular tension in the human. Br J Ophthalmol. 1972 Oct;56(10):770–775. doi: 10.1136/bjo.56.10.770. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The British Journal of Ophthalmology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES