Does Oral Acetaminophen Lower Intraocular Pressure?

\- Lowering intraocular pressure is the only proven treatment for glaucoma. Medications, almost always in the form of eye drops, are a mainstay for lowering intraocular pressure. Eye drops have the disadvantage of being difficult to administer and can have adverse effects on the surface of the eye and the surrounding tissues. Lowering intraocular pressure can be accomplished with oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, but the many systemic side effects of these agents relegates them to drugs of last resort. Therefore, an effective, well-tolerated, oral agent would be an important addition to the treatment of glaucoma. The hypothesis is that oral acetaminophen can lower intraocular pressure to a clinically significant degree in a dosing regimen that is both safe and convenient. The research is important because acetaminophen is inexpensive, available over-the-counter, and has a well known safety and side effect profile.