Kidney disease therapy could treat glaucoma

The diuretic agents, vasopressin-receptor antagonists, or vaptans, may have a use in the treatment of glaucoma, according to a study appearing in the 10 May, 2008 issue of The Lancet.

A team led by Professor Guy Decaux of Erasmus University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium, found that vaptans, taken orally or intravenously, exerts their effect by competing with vasopressin hormone molecules thus blocking the action of the natural hormone vasopressin.

Currently available vaptans have been developed to treat diseases, such as dysmenorrhoea, Raynaud's disease, renal failure, and diabetic nephropathy. However, this class of agents have also shown promise in preliminary studies for the treatment of glaucoma and further investigation is now warranted to establish whether they have a true role in the treatment of this ocular condition.