What Is Carteolol Used For?

Carteolol is a medication that can lower the pressure in the eyes. It is specifically approved to reduce eye pressure in people with chronic open angle glaucoma or high eye pressure. There are currently no uses of carteolol approved for children. This does not mean that healthcare providers cannot prescribe this medication to children; it simply means that the drug has not been studied in this age group.

Carteolol Medication Information

What Is Carteolol Used For?

Carteolol hydrochloride (Ocupress^®) is a prescription eye drop approved to lower the pressure in the eyes (intraocular pressure) in people with open angle glaucoma and high eye pressure (known medically as ocular hypertension).

Glaucoma is not a single disease. It is actually a group of diseases sharing certain features such as high pressure within the eye (intraocular pressure), damage to the optic nerve, loss of peripheral (side) vision, and possibly blindness. Of all the different types of glaucoma, open angle glaucoma is by far the most common (see Types of Glaucoma).

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.

Although there is no cure for open angle glaucoma, symptoms can usually be controlled, and further damage may be prevented or reduced. The most common glaucoma treatments are:

Medications (see Glaucoma Medications)
Traditional surgery (see Glaucoma Surgery)
Laser surgery (see Glaucoma Laser Surgery).

Carteolol can be used by itself or (if necessary) combined with other types of glaucoma medications or treatments.

(What Is Carteolol Used For? Continued: Page 2)