Question

Identify nursing implications associated with drug therapy and treatment of diseases of the urinary system.

What are the mechanism of actions of drugs that lowers intraocular pressure?

Answer 1

Intra-ocular pressure ( IOP) is the pressure inside the ocular cavity (eye). It increases mainly in patients with gloucoma. There are many drugs used to reduce the increased intraocular pressure such as bimatoprost. Its ocular hypotensive action is due primarily to a 26% reduction in the tonographic resistance to outflow. Thus, these drugs enhances the pressure-sensitive outflow pathway. Additional beneficial effects may include an increase in the rate of flow via the pressure-insensitive outflow pathway and a lowering of the extraocular recipient pressure (sometimes called "episcleral venous pressure"). Reduction of tonographic resistance to aqueous humor outflow reduces steady-state IOP, an effect that is beneficial for the treatment of glaucoma. In addition to its effect on steady-state IOP, reduction of resistance allows the eye to recover more quickly from transient IOP elevations. The former effect is common to all ocular hypotensive drugs, but the latter effect is an exclusive property of drugs that reduce outflow resistance, such as bimatoprost.