Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Use of Rabbit Eyes in Pharmacokinetic Studies of Intraocular Drugs
Published on: July 23, 2016
Oral niacin can increase intraocular pressure
Ethan H Tittler1, Daniela S Monteiro de Barros, Julia B V Kuntz Navarro
1William and Anna Goldberg Glaucoma Service and Research Center, Wills Eye Institute, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract:
The intraocular pressure of a 73-year-old man with a history of primary open-angle glaucoma had been approximately 21 and 17 mm Hg in the right and left eyes, respectively, while taking latanoprost 0.005% and dorzolamide hydrochloride 2%. When taking 500 mg of oral niacin (also known as vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid), his intraocular pressure increased to 37 and 27 mm Hg in the right and left eyes, respectively, on one occasion. On reexamination, the intraocular pressure had increased to 28 and 23 mm Hg in the right and left eyes, respectively. Each time the niacin was stopped, the intraocular pressure decreased to the original levels.
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