As you know, compliance can become a problem when a patient needs to take more than one medication. Here’s a possible solution to the problem for some glaucoma patients.

Dr. Karl-Heinz Emmerich of the Darmstadt Eye Clinic at the Academic Hospital of the University of Frankfurt in Germany has demonstrated that latanoprost ophthalmic solution (Xalatan) as monotherapy after a short course of timolol or timolol and dorzolamide may be just as effective as the combination therapy in reducing intraocular pressure.

This 3-month trial studied 183 patients with open-angle glaucoma, capsular glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ninety patients were randomized to latanoprost, and 93 to timolol and dorzolamide together. After 2 to 4 weeks, some of the timolol/dorzolamide patients were randomized to latanoprost. Patients were examined at baseline, after 2 weeks and after 3 months.

"The effects of latanoprost after 2 weeks of treatment were identical to the effect seen at the end of the study," Dr. Emmerich said.