Atenolol 4% eye drops and glaucoma. A double-blind short-term clinical trial of a new beta1-adrenergic blocking agent.

We studied the effect of a single dose of atenolol 4% eye drops on 21 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma during a double-blind clinical trial. We monitored intraocular pressure (IOP), blood pressure, and pulse rate. At three and six h after medication, the average reduction of IOP was 7.3 and 4.1 mm Hg, respectively, compared to the baseline readings without medication. The reduction of IOP at four h after medication was 6.3 mm Hg compared to the pretreatment value. This corresponds to an average change from the pretreatment value of 22%. Blood pressure and pulse rate did not change significantly. We observed no subjective or objective ocular side effects. The duration of the effect of a single dose of atenolol 4% eye drops is approximately six h. Atenolol 4% eye drops may become a useful agent in the medical treatment of glaucoma if a long-term effect and no ocular side effects (especially a local anesthetic effect) can be proven.