The comparison of eyelash lengthening effect of latanoprost therapy in adults and children.

PURPOSE: To compare the eyelash lengthening effect of latanoprost in adults and children with glaucoma.
METHODS: Twenty eyes of 13 men and 7 women (mean age: 54.9, range 42-69 years) with primary open-angle glaucoma and 20 eyes of 9 boys and 11 girls (mean age: 10.7, range 6-16 years) with glaucoma were included in this prospective study. In 19 children, juvenile glaucoma and in one, pseudophakic glaucoma had been detected. A single eyelash was pulled from the center of the upper eyelid before latanoprost therapy and at the sixth month of therapy, and measured.
RESULTS: In adult cases, the mean eyelash length was 5.79+/-0.18 mm (5.5-6.1 mm) at baseline and 6.45+/-0.21 mm (6.2-6.8 mm) at the sixth month. In children, the mean length was 5.66+/-0.22 mm (5.3-6.0 mm) at baseline and 6.39+/-0.37 mm (5.9-6.9 mm) at the sixth month. The mean difference in eyelash lengths at baseline and the sixth month was 0.67+/-0.09 mm (0.5-0.7 mm) in adults and 0.75+/-0.25 mm (0.4-1.2 mm) in children.
CONCLUSIONS: The differences in mean eyelash lengths at baseline and at the sixth month of latanoprost therapy were statistically significant in both adults and children (p=0.000). The mean of the difference of the eyelash length in children was higher than in adults but the result was not statistically significant (p=0.678).