Comparison of the corneal effects of latanoprost, fixed combination latanoprost-timolol, and timolol: A...

To compare the long-term effects on corneal endothelial cell density and corneal thickness of latanoprost and the fixed combination latanoprost-timolol to timolol.

Double-masked, randomized, prospective, multicenter clinical trial.

Three hundred sixty-nine subjects with bilateral ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma who had a baseline central corneal endothelial cell density of at least 1500 cells/mm(2), central corneal thickness of less than 0.68 mm, no corneal pathologic condition on slit-lamp examination, and intraocular pressure of less than 22 mmHg after a 3-week run-in on timolol, 0.5%, once daily were included.

Subjects were randomly assigned to treatment with latanoprost 0.005% (n = 127), fixed-combination latanoprost 0.005%-timolol 0.5% (FC, n = 116), or timolol 0.5% (n = 126) one drop, once daily in the morning for 1 year. All subjects were treated in both eyes. Specular microscopy and ultrasonic pachymetry were performed before treatment, and after 6 and 12 months of treatment.

Mean percent change in central endothelial cell density and central corneal thickness after 1 year of treatment.

For both corneal endothelial cell density and corneal thickness, the mean percent changes from baseline were similar in all three treatment groups. Mean percent endothelial cell change at 1 year from baseline for latanoprost, FC, and timolol was 0.3 +/- 2.2%, 0.1 +/- 1.8%, 0.0 +/- 2.5% (mean +/- standard deviation; 95% confidence interval: latanoprost vs timolol -0.2-1.0; FC vs timolol -0.4-0.7) and mean percent change in corneal thickness was -1.1 +/- 2.5%, -1.0 +/- 2.0%, 0.2 +/- 3.1%, respectively.

Latanoprost and FC are equivalent to timolol regarding long-term corneal effects after 1 year of treatment.