Latanoprost Reduces Vision Loss Risk in Glaucoma

Latanoprost eye drops may significantly reduce the risk of vision loss in patients with glaucoma, a new study indicates.

The study, published online on December 18, 2014, in The Lancet, examined the outcomes of more than 500 newly diagnosed glaucoma patients.

The research team found that patients who were given latanoprost, a prostaglandin analogue eye drop, experienced a >50% reduced risk of vision loss over 2 years compared with the placebo group.

“Medication to lower raised eye pressure has been used for decades as the main treatment for open-angle glaucoma to delay progressive vision loss," said lead study author, David Garway-Heath, in a press release. "But, until now, the extent to which the most frequently prescribed class of pressure-lowering drugs (prostaglandin analogues) have a protective effect on vision was not known.”

Garway-Heath continued that the research team’s findings “offer solid proof to patients and practitioners that the visual deterioration caused by glaucoma can be reduced using this treatment.”