Beta Blockers & Glaucoma

Approximately 4 million Americans suffer from glaucoma, a condition that results in elevated pressure within your eyes, reports the Glaucoma Research Foundation. One of the treatments that doctors prescribe for the disease is class of prescription drugs called beta blockers.

Function

• Beta blockers work by inhibiting the effects of a chemical in your body called epinephrine, a chemical that contributes to the production of the fluid in your eyes called aqueous humor. By interfering with epinephrine, your eyes make less aqueous fluid.

Effects

• Having a lower volume of aqueous humor in your eyes causes a decrease in eye pressure, explains the Mayo Clinic. If you suffer from glaucoma, this helps prevent damage to your optic nerve that can result in blindness.

Types

• Beta blockers for glaucoma are typically given in the form of an eye drop. Types commonly prescribed for treatment of the disease include levobunolol, timolol, betaxolol and metipranolol, reports the Mayo Clinic.

Time Frame

• Once you begin using beta blockers for glaucoma, you are likely to continue using them for the rest of your life. This is because beta blockers do not cure the disease, they simply manage its effects.

Risks

• Beta blockers have the potential to cause shortness of breath, decreased heart rate, hair loss, low blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, weakness, depression and forgetfulness, cautions the Mayo Clinic. If you have asthma or lung disease or take insulin to control diabetes, it may not be safe for you to use beta blockers for the treatment of glaucoma.