title: Levobunolol compared to dipivefrin in African American patients with open angle glaucoma.
abstract: The prevalence of open angle glaucoma is disproportionately high in the African American population. Information about the effectiveness of anti-glaucoma medications in an exclusively African American population is lacking. We treated both eyes of 38 African American patients who have stable open angle glaucoma with either levobunolol b.i.d. or dipivefrin b.i.d. to evaluate the effectiveness of each drug in lowering intraocular pressure. Patients were treated for six weeks following a two week washout period. We measured intraocular pressure levels after one, three, and six weeks. Each medication produced a statistically significant decrease in intraocular pressure by week one. The mean pre-treatment pressure of 24.4 mmHg in the levobunolol was reduced to 17.0 mmHg by week six. The mean pre-treatment pressure of 25.4 mmHg in the dipivefrin treated group was reduced to 18.2 mmHg by week six. There was not a statistically significant difference in the pre-treatment or the final pressure between the two groups. Both levobunolol and dipivefrin produce a statistically significant decrease in intraocular pressure in African American patients with open angle glaucoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002040:Levobunolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D014481:United States; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; C015173:dipivefrin; D002040:Levobunolol; D004837:Epinephrine