Dependence of TOP-Lowering Effect of Acetazoleamide on Salt

Abstract

Acetazoleamide (Diamox) consistently produces a conspicuous fall in intraocular pressure when administered to patients with elevated ocular tensions, the magnitude of the response being less in persons with normal or slightly higher than normal pressures.* The administration of the drug to rabbits, however, is reported to produce a sizable reduction in pressure in a majority of animals f in some laboratories, but not in the eyes of most rabbits in others.‡ These discrepant results suggest that some environmental or endogenous factor acts to limit the reduction in pressure produced by acetazoleamide, so that the results of any study designed to investigate the mechanism of action of the drug may be more representative of the effect of the unknown variable than of the effect of acetazoleamide itself. Moreover, the discrepant observations make it difficult, if not impossible, to compare results obtained in different laboratories. Accordingly, we undertook an investigation designed