Ethambutol and intra-ocular pressure.

Two groups of Korean patients with tuberculosis, matched in pairs for age and duration of chemotherapy, have been studied. One group had received ethambutol in a mean dosage of 14.4 mg/kg and the other antituberculosis chemotherapy not including ethambutol for at least 3 months. All patients had routine ophthalmological assessments on admission to the study, including examination of the fundi, visual fields and macular thresholds. Intra-ocular pressures were measured and a water-drinking test was then carried out. All the assessments were made by the same ophthalmologist who was at all times kept unaware of the treatment which each patient was receiving or which patients were paired. There was no evidence of ocular toxicity or that ethambutol in the dosages studied has an effect on intra-ocular pressure.