Table 1.

Current drug classes used for treating glaucoma/ocular hypertension

Pharmacological class	Drug examples	Mechanism of action	Comments
α‐adrenoceptor agonist	Adrenaline, apraclonidine, brimonidine	AQH Inflow suppression and increase uveoscleral outflow	Adrenaline used historically; brimonidine widely used today
β‐adrenoceptor antagonists (β blockers)	Timolol, betaxolol, levobunolol	AQH Inflow suppression	Widely used; can induce bradycardia; contra‐indicated in asthmatics
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors	Dorzolamide, brinzolamide	AQH Inflow suppression	Systemic acetazolamide and methazolamide used historically, currently used for acute IOP control instead of chronic therapy
ACh muscarinic receptor agonists	Pilocarpine, carbachol	Increase conventional outflow of AQH	The oldest medical therapy for glaucoma, use limited by four times a day dosing and ocular side effects
PG analogues	Latanoprost, travoprost, bimatoprost, tafluprost	Increase uveoscleral, and also conventional, outflow of AQH	The most widely used, most potent, and most efficacious drug class, additionally enabling once‐a‐day dosing