| Past Issue | Volume 9, Number 1, February 2007 | | The Effects of Topical Antiglaucoma Drugs on the Conjunctival Cell Profile of Asian Patients |
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Ahmad Tajudin Liza-Sharmini,1 Mutalib O Abdul,1 Manoharan Madhavan2
1Department of Ophthalmology, and 2Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
Aim: To determine the effects of topical antiglaucoma drugs on the conjunctival cell profile of glaucomatous Malaysian patients.
Methods: Quantitative histological analysis of goblet cells, inflammatory cells, mast cells, and fibroblasts of 22 conjunctival biopsies was performed using a light microscope. These biopsies were obtained from consenting patients during trabeculectomy, triple procedure, or cataract surgery. Eleven biopsies were obtained from glaucomatous eyes that had been exposed to topical antiglaucoma drugs over a minimum period of 3 months. This group was further subdivided into single- and multiple-treatment groups according to the number of drugs received. Age-matched conjunctival biopsies obtained from 11 non-glaucomatous eyes during cataract surgery served as controls.
Results: Mean duration of topical antiglaucoma drug treatment was 22.8 months (SD, 16.1 months). There were significant increases in the numbers of lymphocytes (p = 0.01) and plasma cells (p = 0.013) in conjunctiva exposed to topical antiglaucoma drugs compared with those from the control group. Macrophages were absent from both groups of conjunctival biopsies. There also appeared to be fewer polymorphs, mast cells, and goblet cells in the study group compared with controls. There were no statistically significant differences between the conjunctival cell profiles of the single- and multiple-treatment groups.
Conclusion: Although limited by small sample size, this study has provided minimal evidence of subclinical chronic inflammation in conjunctiva exposed to topical antiglaucoma drugs.
Key words: Adverse effects, Conjunctiva, Cytology, Eyedrops, Filtering surgery, Glaucoma
Asian J Ophthalmol. 2007;9:17-22.
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