Biomaterial Database

The Ocusert pilocarpine system: advantages and disadvantages. 1976

I P Pollack, and H A Quigley, and T S Harbin

Thirty-four patients with glaucoma were treated with the Ocusert pilocarpine system, a unique method of providing round-the-clock delivery of pilocarpine in the eye for seven-day periods. Advantages of the device include therapeutic effectiveness and continuous release rate, less effect on accommodation, less miosis, convenience for the patient, and reliability in patients who must rely on others for treatment (eg, children and the elderly). Some disadvantages encountered were need for instruction and encouragement of patients; retention difficulties, with some patients unaware when the device was lost; occasional side effects of a cutting sensation (as when the Ocusert sometimes doubles over), movement in the eye, and transient blurring of vision and miosis; and high cost. Overall, when compared to pilocarpine eyedrops, the Ocusert pilocarpine system presents many definite advantages and is a highly desirable method of therapy in selected cases of glaucoma.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007429	Intraocular Pressure	The pressure of the fluids in the eye.	Ocular Tension,Intraocular Pressures,Ocular Tensions,Pressure, Intraocular,Pressures, Intraocular,Tension, Ocular,Tensions, Ocular
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009216	Myopia	A refractive error in which rays of light entering the EYE parallel to the optic axis are brought to a focus in front of the RETINA when accommodation (ACCOMMODATION, OCULAR) is relaxed. This results from an overly curved CORNEA or from the eyeball being too long from front to back. It is also called nearsightedness.	Nearsightedness,Myopias,Nearsightednesses
D010342	Patient Acceptance of Health Care	Patients' willingness to receive health care.	Acceptability of Health Care,Health Care Seeking Behavior,Acceptability of Healthcare,Acceptors of Health Care,Health Care Utilization,Nonacceptors of Health Care,Patient Acceptance of Healthcare,Care Acceptor, Health,Care Acceptors, Health,Care Nonacceptor, Health,Care Nonacceptors, Health,Health Care Acceptability,Health Care Acceptor,Health Care Acceptors,Health Care Nonacceptor,Health Care Nonacceptors,Healthcare Acceptabilities,Healthcare Acceptability,Healthcare Patient Acceptance,Healthcare Patient Acceptances,Utilization, Health Care
D010862	Pilocarpine	A slowly hydrolyzed muscarinic agonist with no nicotinic effects. Pilocarpine is used as a miotic and in the treatment of glaucoma.	Isopilocarpine,Isoptocarpine,Ocusert,Pilocarpine Hydrochloride,Pilocarpine Mononitrate, (3S-cis)-Isomer,Pilocarpine Nitrate,Pilocarpine, Monohydrochloride, (3S-cis)-Isomer,Salagen,Hydrochloride, Pilocarpine,Nitrate, Pilocarpine
D004341	Drug Evaluation	Any process by which toxicity, metabolism, absorption, elimination, preferred route of administration, safe dosage range, etc., for a drug or group of drugs is determined through clinical assessment in humans or veterinary animals.	Evaluation Studies, Drug,Drug Evaluation Studies,Drug Evaluation Study,Drug Evaluations,Evaluation Study, Drug,Evaluation, Drug,Evaluations, Drug,Studies, Drug Evaluation,Study, Drug Evaluation
D004343	Drug Implants	Small containers or pellets of a solid drug implanted in the body to achieve sustained release of the drug.	Drug Implant,Drug Pellet,Pellets, Drug,Drug Pellets,Implant, Drug,Implants, Drug,Pellet, Drug
D005260	Female		Females
D005901	Glaucoma	An ocular disease, occurring in many forms, having as its primary characteristics an unstable or a sustained increase in the intraocular pressure which the eye cannot withstand without damage to its structure or impairment of its function. The consequences of the increased pressure may be manifested in a variety of symptoms, depending upon type and severity, such as excavation of the optic disk, hardness of the eyeball, corneal anesthesia, reduced visual acuity, seeing of colored halos around lights, disturbed dark adaptation, visual field defects, and headaches. (Dictionary of Visual Science, 4th ed)	Glaucomas