TOPICAL LATANOPROST IS EFFICTIVE IN REDUCING INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE IN TREATMENT OF CONCOMITANT PRIMARY OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA AND CATARACT: A TERTIARY INSTITUTION EXPERIENCE

Background and Aim: Latanoprost reduces the intraocular pressure in adult by 20–35% without significant adverse reactions. It is a useful remedy in management of primary open angle glaucoma. This study aimed to indicate latanoprost to patients presented with concomitant illnesses of primary open angle glaucoma and cataract and to observe the responsiveness.

Materials and Methods: This study was done in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine at the Anbar University in cooperation with Al-Ramadi Teaching Hospital in Ramadi, Iraq. A total number of 17 patients were enrolled in this study, seven of them presented with primary open angle glaucoma without cataract (Group I) and 10 of them with cataract (Group II). The patients were treated with 0.005% latanoprost (eye drops) once daily for 4 weeks.

Results: The mean ± SD of the intraocular pressure of the right and left eye at the time of the entry into the study (before treatment) were 23.9± 4.3 mmHg and 24.4±8.9 mmHg respectively for Group I and 26.3 ±3.3 mmHg and 24.5 ± 7.3 mmHg respectively for Group II, which did not show significant difference. Four weeks treatment with latanoprost resulted in a significant reduction of intraocular pressure of the right and left eyes by 27.6 % and 26.2% respectively in Group I and by 39.2 % and 32.7% respectively in Group II.

Conclusion: Latanoprost is a safe medication for concomitant primary open angle glaucoma with cataract and it reduces the intraocular pressure in the cataract eye by more than 10% higher than non-cataract eye.