The Effects of Ethoxzolamide (Cardrase) on Intraocular Pressure

The carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, particularly acetazolamide (Diamox), have become a standard adjunct in the short-term management of the glaucomas since they were first evaluated by Becker,1in 1954. There are now numerous reports in the literature which indicate that long-term therapy is effective with these compounds without any obvious ill effect on the ocular tissues. The greatest number of failures in long-term control of the glaucomas with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors to date have been due to the large proportion of sideeffects which have frequently necessitated cessation of therapy; only relatively few cases have become truly refractory. A number of newer carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are being evaluated in a search for a more powerful inhibitor with minimal side-effects in the dosage required. Ethoxzolamide (Cardrase) is a new potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitor the use of which in ophthalmology has been reported on, particularly in the therapy of intraocular inflammation, by Gordon,