The Glaucoma Italian Pediatric Study (GIPSy): 1-Year Results

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and safety of a treatment strategy with latanoprost and dorzolamide in primary pediatric glaucoma patients partially responsive to surgery. Patients and Methods: Children with primary pediatric glaucoma having postsurgical untreated intraocular pressure (IOP) between 22 and 26 mm Hg were eligible. At baseline, patients were administered latanoprost once daily. Depending on IOP reduction, patients were allocated to continuation of latanoprost monotherapy or addition of dorzolamide twice daily, or switch to dorzolamide monotherapy 3 times daily. Patients in the dorzolamide monotherapy group with IOP reduction <20% from baseline were considered nonresponders. The primary endpoint was the percentage of responders. Study treatment continued for 3 years or until treatment failure. The present article reports the 1-year analysis results. Results: A total of 35 patients (57 eyes) were analyzed. The mean age was 4.0 years (SD, 3.8). In total, 51 eyes were included in the efficacy analysis. In total, 43 eyes (84.3%; 95% confidence interval, 74.3-94.3) were considered responders: 29 on latanoprost monotherapy, 11 on the latanoprost/dorzolamide combination, and only 3 on the dorzolamide monotherapy. The efficacy of pharmacological treatment was inversely related to the age at the time of surgery. IOP reduction was 8.7mm Hg (SD, 2.2) for latanoprost, 7.5mm Hg (SD, 1.4) for the latanoprost/dorzolamide combination, and 8.7mm Hg (SD, 2.1) for the dorzolamide monotherapy. Only mild or moderate local adverse events were noted. None of the patients was withdrawn due to adverse events. Conclusion: Latanoprost alone or in combination with dorzolamide is safe and highly effective in lowering IOP in children postsurgery. Non-responders were mainly patients with early presentation of the disease.