Background: Patients with glaucoma often have other health conditions, such as ocular surface disease (OSD), since the illness is characterized by a gradual and persistent damage to the optic nerve that often leads to elevated intraocular pressure. This study aims to examine the surface effects of a fixed combination of timolol and dorzolamide in both preservative-and non-preservative-containing glaucoma medications.
Methods: Forty people diagnosed with open angle glaucoma and seen by the ophthalmology team at Benha University Hospital participated in this prospective randomized trial. A preservative-containing group (PC) and a preservative-free group (PF) were randomly assigned to the participants. Eye drops containing the preservative (BAK) or a mixture of dorzolamide 2% and timolol 0.5% were administered to patients daily for 24 weeks.
Results: At W20 and W24, there was a notable rise in the amount of conjunctival stain found in the PC group when compared with the PF group (P=0.037, <0.001). There was a substantial increase in conjunctival staining test results compared to baseline at W4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 in both the PC and PF groups (P<0.05). pressure (IOP) in the PC and PF groups was considerably lower than at baseline (P<0.05).
Conclusions: In comparison to patients whose drugs were kept, those whose medications were not showed improved outcomes in the following areas: OSDI scores, Schirmer test findings, tear break-up time, corneal and conjunctival staining, and intraocular pressure (IOP).