Adrenergic blocking agents. A double-blind trial in the treatment of the eye signs of thyroid disorders.

LID retraction and lid lag in thyrotoxicosis have been diminished by intramuscular reserpine (Canary, 1957), oral guanethidine (Waldstein, West, Lee, and Bronsky, 1964), and oral propranolol (Buckfield and Davis, 1966), while the increasing availability of local ophthalmic preparations of adrenergic blocking agents has resulted in the local use of propranolol (Sneddon and Turner, 1966), phentolamine (Lee, Morimoto, Bronsky, and Waldstein, 1961), guanethidine (Sneddon and Turner, 1966; Gay and Wolkstein, 1966), and, more recently, bethanidine (Gay, Salmon, and Wolkstein, 1967). The purpose of this paper is to report a short-term double-blind cross-over study comparing the effects of guanethidine (Ismelin, Ciba), propranolol (Inderal, I.C.I.), bethanidine (Esbatal, Burroughs Wellcome), bretyllium (Darenthin, Burroughs Wellcome), and debrisoquine (Declinax, Roche) on the eye signs of thyrotoxicosis.