Uveitis associated with topical beta-blockers
R. W. Beck, P. Moke, R. C. Blair and R. Nissenbaum
Jaeb Center for Health Research, Tampa, USA. beck@jaeb.com
OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence of uveitis associated with topical
beta-blockers. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A computerized
database of a health maintenance organization was used to identify patients
who were prescribed metipranolol or other beta-blockers. PATIENTS: Two
groups: 1928 patients using 0.3% metipranolol and 3903 patients using other
beta-blockers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cases of uveitis were identified by
noting a prescription of a topical corticosteroid and then conducting a
chart review. RESULTS: No cases of uveitis were identified among the 5831
patients. The upper limits of the 95% confidence intervals for the
incidence of uveitis in cohorts of this size are 1.87 cases per 1000
person-years of exposure for metipranolol and 1.38 for other beta-blockers.
CONCLUSION: Drug-induced uveitis from metipranolol or other beta-blocker
administration is a rare event, even if a causal relationship exists.
