Prescribing pattern and adverse events of drugs used in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) attending a tertiary care hospital: Retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most prevalent type of glaucoma leading to progressive loss of visual function in adults. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the prescribing pattern and to assess the associated adverse reactions of drugs used in the treatment of POAG in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, case-record-based study conducted on patients attending the department of ophthalmology for treatment of POAG at Srinivas Hospital, Mukka, from October 2014 to December 2015. The study was initiated after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 17 and presented as percentages and frequency. Results: Out of 74 prescriptions analyzed, 48 (64.86%) patients were treated with monotherapy and 26 patients with combination therapy of drugs. The majority of patients were on timolol as monotherapy with prescription rate of 29.16% followed by bimatoprost 20.83%. Combination therapy was prescribed to 35.14% of the patients; the commonly used regimen was timolol + brimonidine (30.76% patients). 16 patients reported adverse effects such as blurred vision, ocular irritation, and foreign body sensation; however, the most of the patients tolerated the prescribed drugs well. Conclusion: The present study results help to know the different treatment strategies employed in the management of POAG, and reasons for the preference of prescribed drugs. Most of the patients tolerated the antiglaucoma medications well and had a few side effects which did not warrant discontinuation of treatment.