The ocular hypotensive effect of epinephrine in high and low corticosteroid responders

Nonglaucomatous individuals were classified by their intraocular pressure response to 6 weeks of topical dexamethasone, 0.1%, four times daily. Twenty GG responders (over 31 mm. Hg after dexamethasone) and 20 NN responders (below 20 mm. Hg after dexamethasone) of similar age, sex, race, initial intraocular pressure, and facility of outflow were selected. After 24 hr. of treatment (two doses) with 1% epinephrine HCl, the GG subjects demonstrated a mean (+/-sigma) corrected decrease in intraocular pressure of 4.2 mm. Hg (+/- 2.5) as opposed to 1.8 mm. Hg (+/- 2.1) in the NN subjects (p less than 0.005). The relationship between increased responsiveness to corticosteroids, to epinephrine, and to theophylline suggested cyclic nucleotides as a possible common pathway.