General
No CPD Points
Course Summary
Stephen Lash & Rachael Smith (15:55)
Most drugs have side effects - but sometimes these secondary effects, unforeseen and unintended, are not only harmless but actually desirable. Botox was originally developed as a treatment for nerve spasms; but the consequent localised paralysis resulted in a desirable, younger appearance in patients which lead to its now famous cosmetic uses. Eye drops containing the active ingredient bimatoprost have been developed and licensed to treat glaucoma patients by alleviating the pressure on the optic nerve. One observed side effect of this treatment is longer and thicker eyelashes, which has lead to the development of cosmetic versions containing the active ingredient. Rachael Smith, a community optometrist in Winchester, has encountered patient queries regarding these products. Here, she asks Stephen Lash, a trained optometrist and now a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at University Hospital Southampton, about the advice optometrists should give to patients aiming to benefit from the lash enhancing side effects.
First published in DOCET OQ90 (2014).