Prevention of the rise in intraocular pressure following neodymium-YAG posterior capsulotomy using topical 1% apraclonidine
I. P. Pollack, R. H. Brown, A. S. Crandall, A. L. Robin, R. H. Stewart and G. L. White
Wilmer Opthalmological Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
We studied apraclonidine hydrochloride (aplonidine hydrochloride or ALO
2145), an alpha-agonist, for its effect on the intraocular pressure (IOP)
rise following neodymium-YAG posterior capsulotomy (YPC). In a prospective
multicentered double-masked study, 63 eyes were pretreated with one drop of
either 1% apraclonidine hydrochloride or placebo one hour before performing
YPC and again following the laser treatment. The greatest IOP rise in the
placebo-treated eyes occurred in the third hour after YPC, when the mean
(+/- SD) IOP rose from a baseline pressure of 16.4 +/- 3.7 to 20.8 +/- 6.8
mm Hg. In apraclonidine-treated eyes, the IOP fell from a mean of 15.6 +/-
3.8 to 12.8 +/- 6.0 mm Hg three hours postoperatively. There were five
times as many eyes that had an IOP rise greater than 10 mm Hg in the
placebo-treated group compared with those treated with apraclonidine.
Apraclonidine proved to be highly effective in preventing the rise in IOP
following YPC.
