Levobunolol Health Dictionary

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Levobunolol: From 1 Different Sources

n. a *beta blocker used in the treatment of open-angle *glaucoma; it reduces intraocular pressure, probably by reducing the rate of production of aqueous humour. Side-effects may include local stinging and burning.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Beta Blocker

(beta-adrenergic receptor blocker) a drug that prevents stimulation of the beta *adrenoceptors at the nerve endings of the sympathetic nervous system. Blockade of ?1 receptors causes a decrease in heart rate and force; blockade of ?2 receptors causes constriction of the airways and the arteries. Beta blockers include *acebutolol, *atenolol, *bisoprolol, *oxprenolol, *propranolol, and *sotalol; they are used to control abnormal heart rhythms, to treat angina, and to reduce high blood pressure (although they are no longer regarded by some experts as the first choice of drug for treating hypertension in the absence of heart disease, being less effective than newer antihypertensive drugs). Beta blockers that block both ?1 and ?2 receptor sites cause constriction of air passages in the lungs, and these drugs should not be used in patients with asthma and bronchospasm. Other beta blockers are relatively selective for the heart (cardioselective) and are less likely to constrict the airways. Some beta blockers (e.g. *carteolol, *levobunolol, and *timolol) reduce the production of aqueous humour and therefore the pressure inside the eye; they are taken as eye drops in the treatment of *glaucoma.... beta blocker

Glaucoma

n. a condition of the *optic nerve in which a loss of retinal nerve fibres leads to loss of vision. The most significant and manageable risk factor is the pressure in the eye. There are two types of primary glaucoma (in which no other ocular disease is present): acute and chronic simple. In acute (or angle-closure) glaucoma, there is an abrupt rise in pressure due to sudden closure of the angle of the anterior chamber between the cornea and iris where aqueous humour usually drains from the eye. This is accompanied by sudden and severe pain with marked blurring of vision associated with inflammation of the anterior segment. In the more common chronic simple (or open-angle) glaucoma, the pressure increases gradually, usually without any symptoms, and the visual loss is insidious. The same type of visual loss may also occur in eyes with a normal pressure: this is called normal (or low-tension) glaucoma. Primary glaucoma occurs increasingly with age and is an important cause of blindness. It is frequently hereditary. Secondary glaucoma may occur when other ocular disease impairs the normal circulation of the aqueous humour and causes the intraocular pressure to rise.

In all types of glaucoma the aim of the treatment is to reduce the intraocular pressure. Drugs used for this purpose include beta blockers (e.g. timolol, levobunolol, carteolol), carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (e.g. brinzolamide, dorzolamide), alpha-receptor stimulants (e.g. apraclonidine, brimonidine), and prostaglandin analogues (e.g. latanoprost, bimatoprost, travaprost, tafluprost). They can be used in the form of eye drops. If the medical treatment is ineffective, surgery may be performed to allow the aqueous humour to drain from the eye in sufficient quantities to enable the pressure to return to normal. Such operations may either make a new channel through which the aqueous drains (known as drainage or filtering operations) or involve the insertion of a narrow tube (tube surgery).... glaucoma


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