A COMPARISON OF DORZOLAMIDE AND TIMOLOL IN PATIENTS WITH PSEUDOEXFOLIATION AND GLAUCOMA OR OCULAR HYPERTENSION

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to compare the efficacy and safet y profile of 2.0% dorzolamide (three times daily) and 0.5% timolol (tw ice daily) for up to 6 months in patients with glaucoma or ocular hype rtension associated with pseudoexfoliation. The additive effects of do rzolamide and timolol in patients requiring add-on therapy also was ev aluated. Methods: This was a double-masked, randomized, parallel compa rison study at 15 Scandinavian sites. One hundred eighty-four patients with pseudoexfoliation and either glaucoma or ocular hypertension who were 21 to 85 years of age were studied. The treatment groups were 2. 0% dorzolamide three times daily and 0.5% timolol maleate twice daily. Results: At 6 months, the mean percent reduction in intraocular press ure of 2% dorzolamide and 0.5% timolol was 24% and 29%, respectively, at morning peak and 21% and 23%, respectively, at afternoon trough. Th e additional intraocular pressure-lowering effect of adding 2.0% dorzo lamide twice daily to patients receiving timolol was 14% and 15%, at p eak and trough, respectively. There were no differences between treatm ent groups in the incidence of clinical adverse experiences, and dorzo lamide was not associated with the systemic adverse effects typically ascribed to the use of oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. Conclusion: Two percent dorzolamide (three times daily) was effective and well to lerated in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension associated wi th pseudoexfoliation over the course of 6 months; 0.5% timolol (twice daily) had a greater level of intraocular pressure-lowering activity t han did dorzolamide, although the difference between the two treatment s became less pronounced during the study period. Finally, 2.0% dorzol amide (twice daily) produced additional lowering of intraocular pressu re when given with 0.5% timolol (twice daily).