Conjunctival hyperemia in healthy subjects after short-term dosing with latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost

PURPOSE: To evaluate conjunctival hyperemia after short-term use of latanoprost 0.005%, bimatoprost 0.03% and travoprost 0.004% in normal adults. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-masked crossover active controlled comparison. METHODS: We evaluated conjunctival hyperemia by a standard photographic measure at the slit lamp and by anterior segment photographs in healthy subjects after dosing for 5 days with latanoprost, bimatoprost, or travoprost. Conjunctival hyperemia was evaluated at 24-hour trough (hour 0) and at hour 1 after dosing. Each subject was crossed over between periods after a 1-week washout interval. RESULTS: Twenty-eight subjects (mean age 26 9 years) completed this study. Several comparisons were noted to be significant between groups by slit-lamp biornicroscopy: first, at hour 0 latanoprost had significantly less hyperemia than bimatoprost; second, at hour 0 latanoprost showed significantly less change than bimatoprost compared with the study baseline (visit 2); third, at hour 1 latanoprost had significantly less hyperemia than travoprost; fourth, at hour 1 latanoprost demonstrated significantly less change from baseline in hyperemia than travoprost (visit 2); fifth, at hour 1 latanoprost had less change in hyperemia than bimatoprost or travoprost between the study and the nonstudy eye (P = .03); and last, at hour 1 latanoprost showed significantly less change than bimatoprost and travoprost compared with hour 0 (P = .04). Additionally, similar grades were observed by photographs with latanoprost demonstrating the lowest levels of hyperemia. Subjects complained less about other people noticing their red eye with latanoprost than bimatoprost or travoprost (P = .048). No serious adverse events were noted. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that latanoprost may cause significantly less short-term conjunctival by, peremia on average than bimatoprost or travoprost in healthy subjects. (C) 2003 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.