Additive intraocular pressure-lowering effects of the Rho kinase inhibitor ripasudil in Japanese patients with various subtypes of glaucoma.

PURPOSE

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of adjunctive therapy involving the Rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor ripasudil in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with different subtypes of glaucoma, on the basis of the time of IOP measurement STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study METHODS: In total, 58 patients who underwent adjunctive therapy with ripasudil at a single institution were included. They were classified into a primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) group, an exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) group, and a secondary glaucoma associated with uveitis, or steroid glaucoma (SG), group. The average IOPs within 6 months before (pre-IOP) and after (post-IOP) the addition of ripasudil were compared among the 3 groups. The IOP values of the morning-visit and afternoon-visit groups were also compared to reflect the peak effectiveness of ripasudil.

RESULTS

The IOP reductions in the POAG (n = 38), XFG (n = 6), and SG (n = 14) groups were -1.1, +0.5, and +0.5 mmHg, respectively. Significant reductions in IOP were observed in the POAG group (P = .014). The IOP reductions in the POAG morning-visit and afternoon-visit groups were -1.9 and +0.5 mmHg, respectively. IOP was significantly reduced in the morning-visit POAG group after treatment with ripasudil (P = .002). The IOP values measured during morning visits were lower than those measured during afternoon visits (IOP reduction: -1.3 mmHg; P = .011).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study indicate that ripasudil is effective as an adjunctive therapy for lowering IOP in patients with POAG; these reductions are more significant when measured closer to the time of peak effectiveness.