Angle Closure Glaucoma Case Study

Angle-closure glaucoma is defined as an obstruction of the flow of aqueous humor in the eye due to the iris and trabecular meshwork being too close together which creates a closed angle where 270 degrees or more of the angle is occluded.1 Occlusion of the angle causes the intraocular pressure (IOP) to elevate. Optic nerve damage can occur if IOP is greater than 40 mmHg and permanent vision loss can occur if an individual's IOP is greater than 60 mmHg.2 The incidence of angle-closure glaucoma is variable but it is seen more frequently in individuals of Inuit, Chinese, and Asian-Indian descent. In the United States, only a small number of individuals with glaucoma suffer from angle-closure glaucoma. Most individuals with angle-closure glaucoma …show more content…
Latanoprost reaches a peak concentration in the aqueous humor within 2 hours of administration. A reduction in IOP begins within 3-4 hours after administration and peaks within 8-12 hours after administration. The portion of drug that is systemically absorbed is completely hydrolyzed to the acid form of the drug by esterases once the drug reaches the plasma and enters the liver. The portion of the drug that reaches systemic circulation has been shown to cause minimal side effects.6 The elimination half-life of latanoprost is 3-4 hours and the drug metabolites are renally excreted.5,6 Urinalysis has shown that only the drug metabolites are primarily found in the urine instead of pure drug or the acid form of the …show more content…
If another topical ophthalmic agent is used in conjunction with latanoprost, their administration should be separated by 5 minutes. Any topical ophthalmic agent containing thimerosal which is used in conjunction with latanoprost should also be administered 5 minutes apart to avoid possible