Does Oral Acetaminophen Lower Intraocular Pressure?
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2016-05-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
- Lowering intraocular pressure is the only proven treatment for glaucoma. Medications,
almost always in the form of eye drops, are a mainstay for lowering intraocular pressure. Eye
drops have the disadvantage of being difficult to administer and can have adverse effects on
the surface of the eye and the surrounding tissues. Lowering intraocular pressure can be
accomplished with oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, but the many systemic side effects of
these agents relegates them to drugs of last resort. Therefore, an effective, well-tolerated,
oral agent would be an important addition to the treatment of glaucoma. The hypothesis is
that oral acetaminophen can lower intraocular pressure to a clinically significant degree in
a dosing regimen that is both safe and convenient. The research is important because
acetaminophen is inexpensive, available over-the-counter, and has a well known safety and
side effect profile.