In an ironic twist, a medication for glaucoma will soon be prescribed to patients without glaucoma because of one of its unique side effects – longer, thicker eyelashes. During the past decade a new type of eye drop medication called a prostaglandin analog has come into use and rapidly become the first line of defense for treating glaucoma, a progressive eye disease that initially causes loss of peripheral vision and eventually blindness. As with every medication there are side effects to consider. The primary side effects of prostaglandin analogs are increased ocular redness, allergic reaction, a change in the color of the iris, and longer, thicker eyelashes. I have often joked with my patients that this last side effect is reason enough to take the medication. Apparently one pharmaceutical company agrees.
Allergan recently announced it has received approval by the FDA for a new prescription medication called Latisse (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03% to be used in the treatment of hypotrichosis, which simply means having too few eyelashes. This medication has the exact same active ingredient and concentration as Allergan’s glaucoma eye drop Lumigan (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%, but will be applied in a different way. Latisse is the first treatment ever approved by the FDA that has been clinically proven to increase the length, thickness, and darkness of eyelashes.
Latisse will be applied to the base of the upper eyelashes with a sterile, single-use applicator each night after the face has been cleaned and makeup removed. According to the Latisse website, users of Latisse can expect to experience longer, thicker, and darker eyelashes in as little as four weeks and full results in 16 weeks. After full results have been achieved users will have to continue a daily application of Latisse or else experience a gradual return to a pre-treatment state over a period of weeks or months.
The goal of most glaucoma medications is to lower intraocular pressure, which in turn slows glaucoma progression. Ironically the label on Latisse will include lower intraocular pressure as a side effect, while the label on Lumigan lists “growth of eyelashes” as a side effect. The good news is that in healthy eyes lower intraocular pressure is preferable to higher intraocular pressure and use of the Latisse product could theoretically reduce a person’s risk for glaucoma damage, though it will certainly not be recommended or prescribed for that purpose. The most common side effects after using Latisse are itching or redness in the eyes, which was reported in approximately 4% of patients. Other side effects may include darkening of the skin where Latisse is applied or possibly permanent darkening of the iris in the eye, though the latter did not occur during trials.
Although the medical diagnosis in which Latisse is being recommended is “hypotrichosis,” you can bet that the primary use will be purely cosmetic and heavily marketed to women. According to the Latisse website this product does not replace mascara, but the two will serve to complement one another.
This product is expected to be launched nationwide in the first quarter of 2009. If you are interested in Latisse you should speak with your family eye care provider. More information about Latisse can be found at www.latisse.com.
Sweet Visions,
Dr. Eric Stamper, Optometric Physician
http://www.visionary-eye.com
About Me
- Dr. Eric Stamper
- Hendersonville, TN, United States
- Visionary Eyecare Center is a new eye care facility located in Hendersonville, Tennessee in the same building as the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce at 100 Country Club Drive. It is our mission to provide a truly unique eyecare experience with an intense focus on patient comfort and convenience, quality care, and fashionable eyewear.
Through multiple community and professional organizations I have formed a large number of deep friendships and business connections. I am active in the Hendersonville and Gallatin Chambers of Commerce, Hendersonville Morning Rotary, Lions Club, Leadership Sumner, Middle Tennessee Optometric Society, Tennessee Optometric Association, and American Optometric Society.
2 comments:
One of the side effects of Allergan (which includes Lumigan, Alphagan and Combigan) is longer lashes, but to consider drugs like this for their potential cosmetic side effects does not take into consideration the long list of adverse health effects they can have such as:
Ocular adverse events occurring in approximately 3 to 10% of patients, in descending order of incidence, included ocular dryness, visual disturbance, ocular burning, foreign body sensation, eye pain, pigmentation of the periocular skin, blepharitis, cataract, superficial punctate keratitis, eyelid erythema, ocular irritation, and eyelash darkening. The following ocular adverse events reported in approximately 1 to 3% of patients, in descending order of incidence, included: eye discharge, tearing, photophobia, allergic conjunctivitis, asthenopia, increases in iris pigmentation, and conjunctival edema. In less than 1% of patients, intraocular inflammation was reported as iritis.
Systemic adverse events reported in approximately 10% of patients were infections (primarily colds and upper respiratory tract infections). The following systemic adverse events reported in approximately 1 to 5% of patients, in descending order of incidence, included headaches, abnormal liver function tests, asthenia and hirsutism.
Drugs such as these certainly have their place in helping preserve vision when used properly.
There are also nutrients that can help preserve vision for those with glaucoma. For more related research studies, see the "Research" section at Natural Eye Care for Glaucoma Prevention
Thank you for your comments! I feel highly confident nobody is actually prescribing glaucoma medications for cosmetic purposes, I was just commenting on the irony that the same concentration in Lumigan is about to be turned into an application for the upper eyelids. Just to clarify for other readers, I think in your first sentence you meant to say that longer lashes is a side effect of the prostaglandin analogs (which includes Lumigan, Xalatan, Travatan, and now Combigan)... I knew what you meant.
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