Comparison of the intraocular pressure lowering effect of latanoprost and carteolol-pilocarpine combination in newly diagnosed glaucoma.

PURPOSE To evaluate the comparative efficacy of latanoprost monotherapy versus combined carteolol and pilocarpine therapy in patients with newly diagnosed glaucoma. METHODS Masked randomized prospective trial. This study included 51 patients (64 eyes) with newly diagnosed glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The cases were randomly divided into two treatment groups for administration of latanoprost 0.005% once daily, or of carteolol 2% twice daily and pilocarpine 2% twice daily. Mean diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured at baseline, week 2, week 4, and month 3 after the beginning of treatment. Changes in mean IOP from baseline to the 3-month visit were determined by an analysis of variance. RESULTS Mean diurnal IOP values were 25.1 +/- 3.1 mm Hg and 25.5 +/- 2.5 mm Hg at baseline in the latanoprost monotherapy group and in the carteolol-plus-pilocarpine group, respectively. Diurnal IOP was significantly decreased from baseline to 3 months in both groups (P <.001). At this time point, latanoprost monotherapy had reduced mean diurnal IOP by 7.2 +/- 2.5 mm Hg (28.7%) and carteolol plus pilocarpine had reduced mean diurnal IOP by 7.4 +/- 2.7 mm Hg (29%). There was no difference between the groups in terms of their IOP reduction effect (P =.51). Decreased visual acuity and twilight vision, blurred vision, and headache were more frequent in the carteolol-plus-pilocarpine group than in the latanoprost group (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS We concluded that latanoprost monotherapy was at least as effective as the carteolol-pilocarpine combination therapy in reducing mean diurnal IOP in newly diagnosed glaucoma or ocular hypertension.