Effect and side effects of adding 0.2% brimonidine to beta blockers was studied in 44 eyes of 32 glaucoma patients with inadequately controlled intraocular pressure[IOP]with beta blockers alone. Routine eye examination and IOP measurement were performed before the additive therapy. 0.2% brimonidine eye drops were topically applied three times a day with previously used beta blockers. IOP was measured at 1 week, 1 month, and 3months after the combined therapy. Mean IOP was 17.2 +/-1.8 millimeters of mercury before combined therapy ;13.5 +/-1.6 millimeters of mercury after 1 week, 14.3 +/-2.5 millimeters of mercury after 1 month and 13.6 +/-2.3 millimeters of mercury after 3 months of therapy. Side effects of combined therapy were oral dryness[25.0%], ocular pain[9.4%], and blurring[6.3%]. These results indicate that adding 0.2%brimonidine in patients treated with beta blockers causes a further reduction of IOP that may prove to be clinically useful in glaucoma therapy.
Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle* ; Humans ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Brimonidine Tartrate

PURPOSE: The overaction or underaction of oblique muscle is generally evaluated by grossly observingmaximal ductional eye movements, therefore, leading to various results among practioners. This study is to attain objective and accurate muscle function tests by digital videographic method and to verify its accuracy. METHODS: 15 patients with inferior oblique overaction and 7 patients with superior oblique underaction were involved. The subjects were examed by both the gross and digital method and the results were compared. RESULTS: The average difference between gross and videographic analysis was ranging from 0.01 to 1.18. A difference of less than 0.5 was found in 12 patients and 2 patients showed a difference of greater than 1.0. The linear regression curve between digital and gross analysis methods was y=0.93 x -0.10(x=gross method, y=videographic method). The coefficiency of variation to verify its reproducibility for measurements of total variability in 22 patients was 19.66% in gross method and 6.93% in videographic method. CONCLUSIONS: There didn't appear to be significant difference between the results by gross and digital method of analysis but, appeared to be significant difference between the coefficiency of variation by gross and digital method of analysis. Digital videographic measurement, therefore, may be an objective method of examining supraduction and infraduction in oblique muscle which requires further effort in its standardization and precision.
Eye Movements ; Humans ; Linear Models