OphthalmologyWeb
Glaucoma medications can range from $150 to $875 annually depending on class and whether they are brand name or generic. A prescribing doctor should be mindful of these expenses because of the relationship between pharmaceutical cost and patient compliance. A research article in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology (AJO) by Nathan Rylander and Steven Vold calculated the theoretical yearly cost of glaucoma medications using the average wholesale price and common dosing patterns. Cosopt, Alphagan P, Timoptic, Betoptic S, Azopt, Trusopt, Lumigan, and Travatan were some of the brand names they evaluated. They found that nonselective β-blockers remain the most inexpensive class of glaucoma medications. They also concluded that a detailed knowledge of the pricing of these pharmaceuticals may aid in the medical management of glaucoma patients.