Relationship of patient age and tolerance to carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.

A retrospective review of the records of 222 patients indicated a significantly higher incidence of long-term tolerance to carbonic anhydrase inhibitors among patients 40 years of age or less than in older patients. This finding indicated that since argon laser trabeculoplasty and conventional glaucoma surgery have low rates of success in young individuals, it seems prudent to consider carbonic anhydrase inhibitors as part of long-term maximum medical therapy particularly in younger individuals unless specific contraindications exist.