Efficacy of Monotherapy with Either Bimatoprost or Travoprost in Patients with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Resistant to Latanoprost Therapy

Pur po se: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of monotherapy with either bimatoprost or travoprost in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) resistant to latanoprost therapy. Patients and Methods: Forty patients with POAG who received therapy with topical latanoprost at Gaziantep University Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology between March 2009 and March 2010 were chosen to participate in this study. The decision to stop latanoprost therapy in these patients was made either due to the fact that they were resistant to therapy or due to the necessity to further decrease the intraocular pressure (IOP); 20 subjects were chosen to receive monotherapy with bimatoprost and 20 were chosen to receive monotherapy with travoprost. The patients were observed for 6 months with follow-up visits at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. Results: For the group of patients receiving therapy with bimatoprost, the average decrease in IOP was measured to be 2.05 mmHg at 1 week, 2.25 mmHg at 1 month, 1.90 mmHg at 3 months and 2.40 mmHg at 6 months. For the group of patients receiving therapy with travoprost, the average decrease in IOP was measured to be 1.47 mmHg at 1 week, 1.75 mmHg at 1 month, 1.42 mmHg at 3 months and 1.27 mmHg at 6 months. At the end of 6 months, there were no significant changes observed in the mean deviation and central corneal thickness in both therapy groups. Conjunctival hyperemia and ocular irritation were the most common side effects observed in both groups, with the bimatoprost therapy group showing higher values than the travoprost group. Discussion: For patients resistant to latanoprost therapy, prior to any adjuvant therapy, monotherapy with either bimatoprost, which is a prostamide, or travoprost, a prostaglandin analogue, has been shown to be effective at lowering IOP. (Turk J Ophthalmol 2011; 41: 295-8