The Safety and Efficacy of Glaucoma Medication in the Pediatric Population
- 1 January 2009
- journal article
- review article
- Published by SLACK, Inc. in Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus
- Vol. 46 (1), 12-18
- https://doi.org/10.3928/01913913-20090101-05
Abstract
Topical glaucoma medications are widely used for childhood glaucoma, although little is known concerning the use of the newer glaucoma medications in this population. The majority of the references cited were extracted from PubMed. A literature review of all English language reports related to glaucoma medication in the pediatric population since 1980 was performed. Medical therapy of pediatric glaucoma contains four groups of drugs: β-blockers (timolol and betaxolol), carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (dorzolamide), α2-agonists (brimonidine), and prostaglandin analogs (latanoprost). Timolol is the first choice in pediatric glaucoma. In cases with insufficient reduction of the intraocular pressure (IOP), the combination of timolol once a day and dorzolamide twice a day brings about a good control of the IOP. Both medications are effective and well tolerated. The α2-agonists have more and potentially serious adverse effects in children and are contraindicated for children younger than 2 years of age. Latanoprost tends to be less effective in lowering IOP in children than in adults. However, no studies are reported where latanoprost is used in monotherapy. Additional study may further delineate this drug’s role in treating pediatric glaucoma. The safety profile of latanoprost in children appears excellent.This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Advances in the management of paediatric glaucomaEye, 2007
- Acetazolamide Therapy for Hypochloremic Metabolic Alkalosis in Pediatric Patients With Heart DiseaseClinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2007
- Pharmacologic Management of Glaucoma in ChildhoodPediatric Drugs, 2007
- Is brimonidine ophthalmic a safe therapy for infants?Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, 2006
- Tratamiento de la hipertensión ocular infantil con colirio de brimonidina 0,2%Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmología, 2006
- Side-Effect Profile of Brimonidine Tartrate in ChildrenOphthalmology, 2005
- Medical Therapy of Pediatric Glaucoma and Glaucoma in PregnancyOphthalmology Clinics of North America, 2005
- Ocular and systemic side effects of brimonidine 0.2% eye drops (Alphagan®) in childrenEye, 2004
- Latanoprost in Glaucoma Associated with Sturge-Weber SyndromeJournal of Glaucoma, 1999
- Growth suppression in children receiving acetazolamide with antiepileptic drugsPediatric Neurology, 1996