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Glaucoma treatment and ocular surface health
Author(s) -
LABBE A,
BAUDOUIN C
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2010.466.x
Subject(s) - benzalkonium chloride , discontinuation , medicine , glaucoma , adverse effect , preservative , ophthalmology , incidence (geometry) , pharmacology , pathology , chemistry , food science , physics , optics
Antiglaucoma medications are often associated with ocular adverse reactions such as dry eye, and burning or stinging sensations. These undesirable effects may lead to treatment discontinuation and reduced quality of life in patients with glaucoma. Antiglaucoma medications usually contain benzalkonium chloride (BAK) as a preservative. Animal studies, in vitro studies and in vivo experiments have demonstrated various adverse effects of BAK. Clinical studies have also shown an increased incidence of adverse events with BAK and have demonstrated that the withdrawal of preservatives reduces these effects. Collectively, these data suggest that preservative‐free antiglaucoma treatments have clinically relevant benefits for patients.