RESUMO
Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) were dosed twice-daily with 0.5% timolol maleate for 2 years, followed by 2 years of twice-daily dosing with 0.5% betaxolol hydrochloride. The changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) and effects on visual field by each treatment were monitored over this 4-year period. Both the timolol and betaxolol treatments controlled IOP. The mean MD (mean deviation in visual field) values at 24 months of the timolol treatment were -6.18 dB (decibels) and -5.32 dB. Mean MD baseline values following 24 months of the timolol treatment produced 2.31 dB and 0.95 dB reductions in sensitivity in the right and left eyes, and the reduction in the right eye was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The mean MD values after 24 months of the betaxolol treatment were -3.82 dB in the right eyes, an increase of 2.36 dB, and -4.05 dB in the left eyes, up by 1.28 dB. The results from this clinical trial demonstrated that betaxolol was superior over timolol in improving mean retinal sensitivity.
