A comparison of dorzolamide-timolol combination versus the concomitant drugs

PURPOSE: To compare the intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering effect of fixed combination dorzolamide 2% and timolol 0.5% therapy to that of concomitant administration of a topical beta-blocker and dorzolamide. METHODS: Seventy four consecutive glaucoma patients were changed from a regimen including a topical beta-blocker and dorzolamide to the fixed combination dorzolamide-timolol in I eye, with the other eye used as the control. The average IOP readings before and 1 month after the change were compared. RESULTS: The mean baseline IOP in the entire study population was 19.3 +/- 4.2 mm Hg in the study eyes and 16.9 +/- 4.2 mm Hg in the control eyes. Four weeks after the medication change, the mean IOP was 17.3 +/- 3.9 mm Hg in the study eyes (P <.001) and 16.1 +/- 4.1 mm Hg in the control eyes (P=.02). The difference between the mean IOP change of 2.1 mm Hg in the study eyes and 0.8 mm Hg in the control eyes was found to be statistically significant (P=.01). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the fixed combination dorzolamide-timalol therapy achieves additional lowering of the intraocular pressure compared with the concomitant administration of a beta-blocker and dorzolamide. (C) 2000 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.