Department of Ophthalmology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and the
Chicago Center for Vision Research, Chicago, Illinois.
PURPOSE: To compare the alpha2-adrenergic agonist brimonidine tartrate 0.2% to the betaadrenergic
antagonist timolol maleate 0.5% in preserving visual function in low-pressure glaucoma.
DESIGN: Randomized, double-masked, multicenter clinical trial.
METHODS: Exclusion criteria included untreated intraocular pressure (IOP) >21 mm Hg, visual
field mean deviation worse than -16 decibels, or contraindications to study medications. Both eyes
received twice-daily monotherapy randomized in blocks of 7 (4 brimonidine to 3 timolol). Standard
automated perimetry and tonometry were performed at 4-month intervals. Main outcome measure
was field progression in either eye, defined as the same 3 or more points with a negative slope =-1
dB/year at P < 5%, on 3 consecutive tests, assessed by pointwise linear regression. Secondary
outcome measures were progression based on glaucoma change probability maps (GCPM) of
pattern deviation and the 3-omitting method for pointwise linear regression.
RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients were randomized to brimonidine and 79 to timolol. Mean (± SE)
months of follow-up for all patients was 30.0 ± 2. Statistically fewer brimonidine-treated patients
(9, 9.1%) had visual field progression by pointwise linear regression than timolol-treated patients
(31, 39.2%, log-rank 12.4, P = .001). Mean treated IOP was similar for brimonidine- and timololtreated
patients at all time points. More brimonidine-treated (28, 28.3%) than timolol-treated (9,
11.4%) patients discontinued study participation because of drug-related adverse events (P = .008).
Similar differences in progression were observed when analyzed by GCPM and the 3-omitting
method.
CONCLUSION: Low-pressure glaucoma patients treated with brimonidine 0.2% who do not
develop ocular allergy are less likely to have field progression than patients treated with timolol
0.5%.
PMID: 20457984 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21257146