Lumigan Eye Drops

Lumigan Eye Drops

Lumigan Eye Drops

 

 

 

This eye drops contain the active ingredient bimatoprost and it contains also benzalkonium chloride as a preservative. The main indication of the medication is to decrease the intraocular pressure.

The bottle can come in in three different sizes:

2.5 mL solution in a 5 mL bottle.

5 mL solution in a 10 mL bottle.

7.5 mL solution in a 10 mL bottle.

Each eye drop of this bottle contains either 0.1 mg or 0.3 mg of Lumigan per 1 mL of solution.

 

How does Lumigan Eye Drops work?

 

Aqueous humor is produced by a special part of the eye called ciliary process. Aqueous humor is the fluid that is present inside the eyeball and responsible for maintaining the intraocular pressure within normal range.

Normally aqueous humor is drained out of the eye through two ways, first one is through a special part at the angle of the eye which is called trabecular meshwork and this is the major drainage system.

The other drainage system which is responsible for less than 10% drainage of aqueous humor is called uveoscleral pathway or channels. This pathway is responsible for more than 10% drainage of aqueous humor in children. Bimatoprost or lumigan eye drops will act mainly on these channels and increase the outflow of aqueous humor through them.

 

 

Prostaglandin analogues

 

Bimatoprost belongs to a group of eye drops called prostaglandin analogues. Prostaglandins are chemical substances that are found naturally in many places in the body. Prostaglandin has multiple actions inside the human body.

Inside the eye, when they present in specific amount or concentration, they will increase the drainage of the aqueous humour outside the eyeball through uveoscleral pathway.

Prostaglandin will also cause the pupil to constrict and this can be a problem during surgery, in which touching the iris with phaco probe will release prostaglandin from iris causing constriction, which can be a problem for the cataract surgeon.

That is why some of cataract surgeons will advice the patient to use NSAIDs before surgery to decrease the amount of prostaglandin inside the eye at the time of surgery.

Prostaglandin will also disturb the blood-ocular barrier. This barrier will inhibit blood cells, white blood cells, inflammatory cells and proteins from passing from the blood to the eye. That is why prostaglandin analogues should not be used in cases of inflammatory ocular diseases like uveitis, post intraocular surgery.

Prostaglandin can flare up previous corneal herpes eye infection and should be used in caution.

 

 

How to use Lumigan Eye Drops

Lumigan eye drops are usually used on daily bases in evening at bed time. Using it more than once a day will not give you any further advantages and they found that it will give its maximum action when given in evening.

It's action can last for 24 hrs and so it should be given as a prescription. If you miss one dose, your intraocular pressure can rise at that day but it can come to normal once you start again on medication.

 

Indications of Lumigan Eye Drops

 

Lumigan eye drops can be used to decrease the intraocular pressure in open angle glaucoma, normal pressure glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Once intraocular pressure is reduced, it will help to protect the optic nerve from damage by high pressure.

 

 

Warning when using it!

• In case you use multiple eye drops, try not to use all of them at the same time, make a separation of at least five minutes between them.

• In case you wear a contact lens, don’t use Lumigan eye drops while you wearing contact lens because this medication contains the preservative benzalkonium chloride, which will be participated on contact lenses causing eye irritation and also it can change the color of contact lens which will affect its efficacy .Wait at least 15 minutes after using the drops before wearing contact lenses.

• To increase the duration of eye drops on the cornea, so more absorption of the medication will occur and to minimize systemic side effects of eye drops, you can press on the corner of the eye at its junction with the nose to obstruct the tear drainage.

• Once the eye drop bottle is opened, it should not be used for more than four weeks for sterility and it should be stored in room temperature away from hot, light and moisture and also it should be stored away from children.

• Its safety to be used for children under 18 is not established yet.

• Its safety to be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding period is not well established yet.

• It can be used in glaucoma other than the three mentioned before but with caution.

• In inflammatory glaucoma, it can increase the amount of inflammation, so it should be used with caution.

• In diabetic patient with diabetic retinopathy, it can increase the incidence of macular edema, especially if the patient is aphakic or pseudophakic. So it should be used with caution.

• In patient with conjunctivitis, it can increase conjunctiva hyperemia.

• It can increase the incidence of dry eye, so be used in caution with patients who have history of dry eye.

 

 

Side Effects of Lumigan Eye Drops

 

Lumigan eye drops and all other prostaglandins analogues share the same side effects, but it is not necessary that all patients on these medications will suffer from these side effects:

• Color changes of the iris, especially in lighted color iris like green and blue. It will darken to more brown.

• Over growth of eyelashes and also darkening of them. Another prostaglandins analogues called Latisse is used mainly for the growth of Eyelashes.

• Red eye due to conjunctival hyperemia.

• Irritation and burning sensation.

• Photophobia or light sensitivity.

• Aggravation of dry eye symptoms.

• Increase intraocular inflammation in susceptible patients like patients with intraocular surgery, patient with history of uveitis and patient with diabetic eye disease.

• Macular edema which is collection of fluid in the retina and occur more in patients with diabetic retinopathy and aphakic and pseudophakic patients.

• Dizziness.

For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medication, please read drug facts sheet that is provided with the medicine or consult your eye doctor.

 

 

 
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