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[摘要]：Glaucoma refers to a collection of progressive optic neuropathies that can lead to irreversible damage to retinal ganglion cells and their axons, and eventual loss of vision if left untreated or treated unsuccessfully. The main goal in glaucoma therapeutics is to prevent functionally significant visual impairment. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, accounting for approximately 72.5% of all global blindness. The cost of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering treatment is estimated to reach $5 billion annually in the U.S. alone by 2011. With expected increases in disease prevalence and the number of patients seeking treatment for the disease, there remains a great need for novel products that offer significant improvements in efficacy, duration of action and side effect profile. Most glaucoma patients will be prescribed multiple drops of varying classes of compounds to control their disease. There is much interest in developing compounds with novel and complementary mechanisms of action, which are discussed herein. |
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