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Br J Ophthalmol 2002;86:599 doi:10.1136/bjo.86.6.599-a
  • BJO at a glance

BJO at a glance

  1. Creig Hoyt, Editor

      WHAT SHOULD BE THE DRUG OF CHOICE IN THE TREATMENT OF OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA?

      A little over two decades ago topical β blockers became the primary treatment for chronic open angle glaucoma. β Blockers replaced cholinergics (primarily pilocarpine) despite the fact that β blockers were seen as considerably more expensive. The advantage of β blockers was their apparent increased effectiveness, and the minimal amount of local side effects. Despite the fact that systemic side effects associated with their use are not inconsiderable, β blockers have remained the drug of choice for initial treatment of chronic open angle glaucoma. A controversy moderated by Ivan Goldberg addresses the question of whether β blockers should now be replaced by some of the newer agents available for treatment of open angle glaucoma. What are these newer agents? They are primarily α2 agonists, prostaglandin analogues and related drugs, and topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Some of them appear to offer equal or …

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