Association of Various Topical Antiglaucoma Drugs with Ocular Surface Disorders in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

Background and Objective: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world and is expected to affect 79.6 million people by 2020. Topical medical therapy is the most common treatment for glaucoma, and the patients on topical antiglaucoma treatment are prone to develop ocular surface diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of various topical antiglaucoma drugs with ocular surface disorders. Material and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, Integral Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Integral University, Lucknow. A total of 100 eyes of 50 patients of primary open angle glaucoma were enrolled in the study. The study duration was from January 2019 to January 2020. The study subjects were adult patients with diagnosis of primary open angle glaucoma undergoing topical antiglaucoma treatment. Written informed consent was obtained from each participant, which included an explanation of the study design and goals. Results: The study comprised 100 eyes of 50 patients of primary open angle glaucoma. Mean age of patients was 57.27 years with 57 % males and 43% females. The patients were divided into six groups. Group 1A and 1B, included patients on Timolol eye drops without and with preservative respectively, Group 2A and 2B, on Brimonidine without and with preservative, Group 3A and 3B, included patients on Travoprost, withoutand with preservative respectively. IOP was decreased significantly in all of the groups at 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 12th months visits compared to baseline. In our study we found an association between the use of antiglaucoma drugs and ocular surface disorder which could be attributed due to the active ingredient or due to presence of preservative in the drug. Conclusion: There is an association between the use of antiglaucoma drugs and ocular surface disorders. The ocular surface disorder occurs either due to active ingredient or due to preservative in the drug. OSD in glaucoma patients may be minimised by preferable use of preservative free antiglaucoma drugs.