New and old standby drug therapies

摘要

There are literally hundreds of ophthalmic formulations on the market, some relegated to veterinary species but the majority labeled for human use. Despite this seemingly endless variety of available pharmaceuticals, veterinary ophthalmologists often find themselves-and their patients - at the mercy of therapeutic trends in human medicine. As an example, availability of oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors has suffered as topical agents become the standard in human glaucoma management. On the other hand, canine patients have benefited substantially from development of topical anti-glaucoma agents such as latanoprost. Unfortunately the cost of these new products is also substantial. Not even ophthalmologists find it practical or prudent to include all of these medications in their office inventory. Ophthalmic medications are sometimes available as both solutions and ointments. Solutions are generally easier to apply but have no other appreciable benefit over contemporary ointments. The choice of which to use is at the clinician's discretion, except in cases of perforated wounds where ointments entering the anterior chamber would intensify uveitis.