EYE SYMPTOMS AND PROPRANOLOL

... The Incidence Appears to be No Greater Than With Other Hypotensive Agents A questionnaire involving 483 patients on hypotensive therapy showed no significant difference in eye symptom sid~ects from any.~ofthe_dru~ used. 144 received propranolol, 327 were on drugs other than ~-adrenoreceptor blockers. I S3 were classified as 'smokers'. The S .questions asked about eye troubles during 3 months therapy concerne<ra grtttyfeelillg, soreness, red ('bloodshof) appearance, photophobia, and I or the need for eye drops. Results showed that between II. 6 % and 29.8 % of patients gave positive answers to one or more of the questions, with very little significant difference in respect of drug therapy. The uniformity of complaint rates was a most noticeable feature of the study ..

'So far as it goes, the data are reassuring about the possibility of propranolol causing eye symptoms. However, our sample included only 144 patients on propranolol and this might not be sufficient to detect a low frequency of eye toxicity. There may be a case for applying the questionnaire to larger numbers o..(patients andfor including questions that indicate a greater degree of severity than those used in this study'.

Dollery. C.T. et a!.: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 4: 295 (Jun ! 977)

INPHARMA 25th June, 1977 p8