Intraocular Pressure and Outflow Facility

Continuous treatment with mestranol, 0.1 mg/ day, in normal women, caused a small gradually growing intraocular pressure decrease of 2.0 ± 0.45 mm Hg and an outflow facility increase of 0.085μl ± 0.015μl (min mm Hg)⁻¹at six months. Treatment of another group of 15 normal women with mestranol + ethynodiol diacetate in doses of 0.1 mg and 1.0 mg per day, respectively, gave similar results. The decrease in intraocular pressure was 1.8 ± 0.38 mm Hg at six months, and the increase in outflow facility was 0.056μl ± 0.01μl (min mm Hg)⁻¹at six months. In both groups, the effect of the drugs on intraocular pressure and outflow facility was highly significant (P< 0.001). However, the differences between the two groups were not significant. Reasons are presented for the belief that the drugs act on the trabecular meshwork.