Rubín López J M, Hevía Nava S, Veganzones Bayón A, Barriales Alvarez V
Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Central de Asturias.
Rev Esp Cardiol. 1999 Jul;52(7):532.
It is known that ophthalmic beta-blockers can induce atrioventricular block. In our series of 243 patients with atrioventricular block, 12 were treated with topic ophthalmic timolol. None of them recognized the eye-drops as a treatment. In 7 cases the sinus rhythm was recovered and in 5 a pacemaker was implanted. There is a significant percentage of atrioventricular blocks produced by the ophthalmic beta-blockers that the patient does not recognize as treatment, and 60% of them are reversible. It is important to ask about the use of eye-drops in patients with bradycardia or atrioventricular block.