Vascular effects of timolol and pilocarpine in the iris. A simultaneous bilateral fluorescein angiographic study.

Simultaneous bilateral fluorescein angiography of the iris vessels (SIFA) was performed on 2 groups of patients. One group comprised previously untreated patients with elevated intraocular pressure who underwent a SIFA both before and after a 3 days' timolol treatment in one eye and pilocarpine treatment in the other eye. The other group consisted of glaucomatous patients treated with timolol for 4 to 24 (mean 11) months before the angiography. Short- or long-term use of timolol neither caused, increased nor decreased leak of the dye from the iris vessels, either at the pupillary border, or in other areas of the iris. Dynamics of the blood flow also remained unaffected. Short-term use of pilocarpine increased extrapupillary focal leakage in one eye.