Comparison of the Effects of Latanoprost, Travoprost, and Bimatoprost on Circadian Intraocular Pressure in Patients with Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension

PurposeTo compare 24-hour reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) by latanoprost 0.005%, travoprost 0.004%, and bimatoprost 0.03% in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OH).DesignRandomized, double-masked, crossover study.ParticipantsTwenty-four patients with POAG and 20 with OH.MethodsPatients were treated with latanoprost, travoprost, and bimatoprost for 1 month. The treatment sequence was randomized, and washout lasted 30 days for each trial drug. Four 24-hour tonometric curves were recorded for each patient: 1 at baseline and 1 after each treatment period.Main Outcome MeasuresIntraocular pressure was measured at 3, 6, and 9 am; noon; 3, 6, and 9 pm; and midnight by 2 treatment-masked well-trained evaluators using a handheld electronic tonometer with the patient in supine and sitting positions and a Goldmann applanation tonometer with the patient sitting at the slit lamp. Supine systemic blood pressure was recorded at the same times. A randomized-blocks analysis of variance was used to analyze data.ResultsAll 3 drugs were highly effective in reducing IOP when compared to baseline. Mean IOP reductions were similar after the 3 prostaglandin analogs, and none of the differences among treatments reached statistical significance. The drugs’ effect was significantly greater during the daytime (9 am–9 pm) than during the nighttime (midnight–6 am) with all prostaglandin analogs. In 7 of 44 patients (16%), nocturnal IOP was significantly higher than diurnal IOP, both at baseline and under the 3 prostaglandin analogs.ConclusionsFrom a clinical point of view, the overall results seem to indicate that the 3 prostaglandin analogs are powerful agents in controlling round-the-clock IOP in POAG and OH patients.