Regional ocular blood flow after chronic topical glaucoma drug treatment.

The effects of a chronic three times a day treatment over a 5 to 6 week period of rabbit eyes with 1 of 5 topically applied glaucoma drugs on ocular blood flow was determined using a radioactive microsphere technique. The drugs employed were timolol (0.5%), pilocarpine (4%), epinephrine (2%), norepinephrine (2%), and ecothiophate iodide 0.125%). The results showed that epinephrine statistically decreased blood flow to the iris and ciliary processes while not to the posterior uveal tissues or optic nerve head. Pilocarpine also showed this same trend, while the differences were not statistically significant. Other drugs were without effect on regional ocular blood flow.