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Azopt for Glaucoma
from eMedTV.comIf you have a certain type of glaucoma, your healthcare provider may prescribe Azopt® (brinzolamide). Specifically, this eye medication is approved for treating open-angle glaucoma. Azopt can also be used "off-label" to treat acute angle-closure glaucoma, although this is not considered an "approved" use of the medicine.
As a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, Azopt lowers the eye pressure by decreasing the amount of fluid produced by the eye (known as aqueous humor). Not everyone with high eye pressure has glaucoma, although high eye pressure can lead to glaucoma. Effectively treating high eye pressure can help prevent glaucoma.
Azopt is only approved for treating glaucoma in adults.
(For more information on using this product for glaucoma treatment, click Azopt Uses. This article describes other possible uses of this eye medication, explains how it works, and discusses why it is not approved for use in children.)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD