ABSTRACT
On the basis of the results of the phase III and IV studies so far available, we will ascertain how bimatoprost can address the most commonly encountered glaucoma and glaucomalike situations in everyday life. For a more comprehensive review on the pharmacology and the safety profile of bimatoprost, the reader is referred to previous reviews.2-5
The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) has shown that, in eyes affected by ocular hypertension, a planned 20% IOP reduction can reduce by up to 50% the 5-year incidence of conversion to open-angle glaucoma.6 The baseline IOP of the OHTS population was in the mid twenties range (approximately 25-26 mm Hg). If we try to estimate the IOP in the OHTS-treated group (that is, 20% less than 25-26 mm Hg), we end with a ‘target IOP’ of 20 mm Hg. However, after a proper analysis, the actual incidence of conversion in the untreated group ranged from 2-17% (mean baseline IOP 22.2 mm Hg) to 6-36% (mean baseline IOP 27.9 mm Hg).6 Therefore, we may assume that a target IOP of 18 mm Hg (that is, 20% less than the lowest baseline IOP upon enrolment) could be considered to be a more reasonable target.
