Pilocarpine Ocusert System for Sustained Control of Ocular Hypertension

Abstract

A pilocarpine-containing, polymermembrane unit (Ocusert) was evaluated in 29 patients with open-angle glaucoma. Patients placed the system in the cul-desac once a week; they retained it well and tolerated its continuing use without appreciable difficulty. Intraocular pressure was controlled satisfactorily by the use of systems releasing either 20μg/hr or 40μg/ hr of pilocarpine; concomitant medications were used where indicated. Side-effects from the ocular therapeutic system were minimal or absent. An attempt to correlate eyedrop strength required for ocular pressure control with the release rate of the Ocusert system required was generally unsuccessful. All the data on pressure response to the system, however, indicate that it provides control comparable to that achieved with the commonly used pilocarpine eyedrop concentrations.