[Pressure-lowering effect of timolol in various forms of glaucoma (author's transl)]

The action of Timolol, which lowers IOP in open-angle glaucoma, was investigated in patients with aphakic glaucoma and, with simultaneous administration of a miotic, in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma. Follow-ups, in some cases over periods of up to one year, showed that Timolol lowers IOP in almost all cases. Timolol alone reduced the pressure in 46% of the patients. Additional administration of other glaucoma drugs enabled IOP to be lowered to 22 mmHg or less in 82%. In five patients the pressure-lowering effect was unsatisfactory or, respectively, treatment with the drug had to be discontinued. All the patients had previously taken numerous pressure-lowering drugs without achieving adequate stabilization. In view of its minor side-effects and convenient mode of application (drops twice a day), Timolol should always be used in younger patients with wide chamber angles before surgery is contemplated.