Examples
|
| Carboptic | carbachol |
| Phospholine | echothiophate |
| Pilocar, Pilopine, Pilostat | pilocarpine |
Most of these medicines are given in eyedrop form. Pilocarpine
can be given as a gel form (Pilopine).
Cholinergic medicine eyedrops have green bottle caps.
If you need to use more than one type of eyedrop, you may need to
take each medicine in a certain order. You can use the color of
the bottle cap to help you remember when to use each type of
eyedrop.
If you are using more than one type of eyedrop, wait 5
minutes between the different eyedrop medicines.
How It Works
These medicines reduce pressure in the eyes by increasing the
drainage of fluid (aqueous humor) out of the eye through the
.
Why It Is Used
Cholinergics can be used to treat
. Pilocarpine is the cholinergic
that is most often used to treat
.
Like beta-blockers, cholinergics can be used
alone or combined with other glaucoma medicines. A combination of medicines
can help control how much fluid is produced in the eye and increase the amount
of fluid that drains out of the eye.
Cholinergic medicines may be used during an episode of
after the pressure inside the eye
has been reduced.
Cholinergics are one of the oldest types of medicines used to
treat glaucoma. But because they can cause significant side effects, and
there are other effective medicines to treat glaucoma, cholinergic
medicines are not used as frequently as in the past.
How Well It Works
These medicines have the strongest effect on the pressure in the
eye during the 2 to 4 hours after medicine is applied. The medicine
continues to work for 4 to 8 hours after use.
Side Effects
Side effects of cholinergics include:
- Stinging, burning when eyedrops are
used.
- Blurred vision, problems with night vision, and problems with
focusing at a far distance.
- Brow ache (headache above the eye in
the eyebrow area). This usually gets better after 1 to 2 weeks and is not a
reason to stop the medicine.
- Diarrhea, nausea, or
vomiting.
- Clouding of the lens (cataract) or pulling away of the
inside lining of the eye (retinal detachment).
- Increased
salivation, tearing in the eyes, or sweating.
Report any change in your vision, including dimmer sight, flashing
lights, or floating spots. Also tell your
doctor right away if you have any loss of eyesight.