Effects of 0.005% latanoprost on optic nerve head and peripapillary retinal blood flow

Fifty-two eyes of 26 healthy volunteers were recruited for evaluating the effects of 0.005% latanoprost on optic nerve head (ONH) and peripapillary retinal blood flow. In a randomized double-blind design, one eye received one drop of 0.005% latanoprost and its fellow eye received one drop of a placebo eyedrop. Intraocular pressure (IOP), ONH and peripapillary retinal blood flow were measured with Heidelberg retinal flowmetry (HRF) before, 2 and 24 h after administration of eyedrops. IOP was decreased significantly in latanoprost-treated eyes at 2 and 24 h after administration (p < 0.05). In the volume, flow or velocity of ONH and peripapillary retina, there were no significant changes from the baseline values at 2 and 24 h after latanoprost administration in either latanoprost-treated eyes or their fellow eyes (p > 0.05). No significant differences were found in the measured quantities between latanoprost-treated eyes and their fellow eyes at each time point (p > 0.05). This result may suggest that 0.005% latanoprost in healthy subjects does not have any adverse effect on ONH and peripapillary retinal blood flow.