Impact of Two Different Antiglaucomatous Medications on Corneal Endothelium and Transparency: A Comparative...

To evaluate the effects of two topical antiglaucomatous agents, latanoprost and brimonidine, on corneal transparency and endothelial cell characteristics in eyes with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT).

This comparative cross-sectional study included 59 patients diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma or OHT, of whom 34 were on latanoprost and 25 were on brimonidine treatment. The control group consisted of 32 healthy eyes. Corneal densitometry (CD) and specular microscopy measurements were obtained, including endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), hexagonality (HEX), and central corneal thickness (CCT).

There was no statistically significant difference identified between the three groups with regard to ECD (P = 0.23), HEX (P = 0.54), and CV (P = 0.35). However, the CD values in the central layer (2-6 mm) and posterior layer (2-6 mm) were found to be significantly lower in the latanoprost-treated group. This difference reached statistical significance compared with the control group in the central layer, and with both the control and brimonidine groups in the posterior layer (P < 0.01). A significant reduction in CCT was also observed in the latanoprost group compared to the control group (P = 0.008).

This is a preliminary investigation to conduct a comparative analysis of corneal clarity in patients who are under antiglaucomatous medication and in a healthy population. It can be postulated that a reduction in CD values in the latanoprost-treated group may contribute to an improvement in corneal transparency due to the remodeling effect of the drug on the cornea. It can also be inferred that the lower CCT observed in the latanoprost-treated group may be attributed to the lower CD measurements in these eyes.