Sorting out the prostaglandins: don't throw in the towel too early on this potent class of ocular hypotensive agents.(Drug overview)

Review of Optometry, May, 2006 by Sowka, Joseph W.; Kabat, Alan G.

An asymptomatic patient presents for ophthalmic evaluation. The exam reveals signs of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). You educate the patient about your findings and reappoint him for a complete glaucoma evaluation, which includes diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements, gonioscopy and stereoscopic disc examination. It also includes photography, pachymetry, threshold visual field analysis and scanning laser assessment of the disc and nerve fiber layer.

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After this complete evaluation, you conclusively diagnose the patient with POAG, and you are ready to initiate IOP-lowering therapy.

Based on the patient's profile, you decide to start with a prostaglandin. You educate him on the proper use of the...

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