Worried

[Gaulloise]

Have just had narrow angle glaucoma diagnosed with came as a real shock as I have no family history (identical twin also does not have it) and I lead a healthy life style. I do have dry eyes, and have been prescribed Latanoprost. This product has been really problematic for me and has exacerbated the dry eye with burning, itching, swollen eyelids in the morning and grittiness. Have discontinued them four days ago. I wonder if preservative-free Latanoprost would be better. It has been suggested that I have beta-blocker drops, but fear they would be absorbed and cause heart problems. Will see specialist asap about iriditomy or possible lens replacement. Has anyone also experienced problems with this product and then had surgery. If so, what was the outcome? Really anxious about the whole thing.

[Jennymary]

If you've discontinued the Latanoprost without medical supervision that's the worst thing you can do as that drop keeps the pressure under control, I'm not saying this to scare you but if pressure goes to high your optic nerves will get damaged and you'll lose some vision, you need to contact your eye hospital today or go to their A&E because they'll find a different drop for you

[Sufitzy in reply to Jennymary]

Ps also to say still do as Trisha suggests as any American reaction can be assessed and advised on quickly x

[Gaulloise in reply to Jennymary]

Thank you for your response. I have given a full update as reply to admin. Will see consultant next week. All the best.

[Trish_GlaucomaUK Partner]

Hello Gaulloise,

By how you describe how your eyes feel and look It sounds as though you are allergic to the preservative in the drop. If you have stopped taking them your glaucoma isnt being treated and it increases the risk of the eye pressure rising and possibly causing more damage. You need to call the eye secretary today and make them aware, as your consultant would want to know. if you have experienced any halos around lights, sickness or bad headaches since stopping the drops, these are warning signs that your eye pressure could be increasing and you would need to go straight to the A & E so that it is treated urgently.

A preservative free Latanaprost called Monopost is avalable so ask about this when you call them . Also as you have dry eye, preservative free eye drops are the way forward as they are more gentle on the eye.

Iridotomy and if needed, lens replacement is definately something to be considered. To stop or reduce side effects do the punctal oclussion. Close your eye and press gently on the tearduct for up to 2 minutes after you put the drop in. (the time may vary with different drops, so always check the patient information leaflet that comes with the drops). By doing this it will stop the drop from travelling down the tear duct to the back of the throat and into the bloodstream. Some patient information leaflet do not mention this but we always recommend that this is done with whatever drop you are using.

[Gaulloise in reply to Trish_GlaucomaUK]

Many thanks for your comprehensive response. I did suspect that the preservative (BAK) was to blame for the side effects (the hospital had initially prescribed a preservative-free formulation but either my medical practice did not pick up on that, or the chemist supplied some with preservative and I did not check the ingredients). I am now on Monopost since two days, however have the same unpleasant side effects (burning, itchiness, dry eye, etc etc, including insomnia). I shall persevere until I see the consultant next week. I am hugely reticent to go on a beta-blocker and will discuss this also next week. I had written this post to see if others had experienced these side effects and whether they wore off on longer term usage and if there are any tips for mitigating these. I have followed all the instructions to the letter, including punctal occlusion and have even tried putting lubricating drops 15mins before Latanoprost. With many thanks.

[Sufitzy]

Hi. Firstly sending a big hug , I know the anxiety I have had the same but I do want to offer my positive experience. I had Closed angle glaucoma and the laser to make the channel bigger. I was so scared but it took 12 minutes from the time I left my seat in the waiting room to my return. It did not hurt . It was fast and I could feel something but not pain. And it completely solved the problem and I would have it again tomorrow with zero anxiety . But on the day I had it I did get a small does of diazepam from the go due to how anxious I was and I feel it helped me .

I sadly have open angle glaucoma too but no because of the closed angle. And I am on The drops you mentioned with beta blockers. They are great . They did increase my dry eye drops but lubricating drops from the chemist sorted that out very well.

For you this all might be short time due to the laser for the closed angle and Lilly resolution from that .

Please know you have friends and support on this forum. And I look forward to hearing how everything goes. Breath deep friend it will be ok xx

[Gaulloise in reply to Sufitzy]

Thank you for your positive comments - I do hope all continues to go well for you. All the best.

[charles555]

Also, a Latapnoprost user. Are you not dropping too much of it when using? I only take a small doze. When I accidentally put a large amount , it did give me a burning sensation. Why don;t you try to input only a tiny amount?

[Gaulloise in reply to charles555]

Thank you for your response. Full update has been sent as reply to admin. I am following instructions to the letter. All the best.

[rhys1234]

For heaven's sake ! Go back on the drops IMMEDIATELY until you can see the Consultant and ask if other drops might not suit you better.

Until then the side effects you are reporting are as nothing COMPARED WITH GOING BLIND !

Is that what you would prefer ?

My Consultant mentioned to me when we were chewing the cud that he had patients who had gone blind because they didn't follow the ( simple ! ) regimen of putting a drop in each eye at night. I couldn't believe it but he said yes, there were patients who couldn't be bothered with / got bored with the routine..........so they preferred to go blind !

And the fact that your ID twin hasn't got it is just ( probably ) a matter of time. It comes on with time, so she should make doubly sure she is checked out at least annually. Maybe half yearly to ensure she gets the drops prescribed as soon as it shows up.

[Gaulloise in reply to rhys1234]

Thank you for your response. I am on Monopost now and following instructions to the letter. Same side-effects, so will discuss with consultant next week. Best wishes.

[rhys1234 in reply to Gaulloise]

I thought Travatan was the ( drops ) treatment of choice in the UK.

You might ask the Consultant if there is some reason you have not been prescribed it.

But of course defer to her / his wisdom and experience.

If you put the drops in last thing at night before going to sleep, surely the side effects are not still there when you wake up ?

[Gaulloise]

Thank you for your response. I have given a full update to the admin person who replied and all will be reassessed next week by the consultant. All the best.