Effect of orally administered hydrocortisone on the ocular tension in primary open-angle glaucoma subjects. Preliminary report.

We studied the possible influence on the pattern of diurnal ocular tension curve by peroral hydrocortisone in 16 eyes of 16 subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma. The baseline diurnal curve was determined by Schiotz tonometry six times daily starting at 10 a.m. and repeated every four hours. The baseline curve showed a significant rise in the daytime with a fall during the night. On another day, 20 mg hydrocortisone was given perorally at 5 p.m., for a repeat 24-h measurement period. A significant rise in ocular tension over the baseline resulted in the following night-time tonometric readings, i.e. at 10 p.m. (P less than 0.01) and 2 a.m. (P less than 0.001). The results seem to strongly indicate that plasma cortico-steroid levels dictate the pattern of diurnal variation of ocular tension.