A Simplified Test of Epinephrine Responsiveness

Forty-three ocular hypertensive and 33 ocular normotensive subjects received two doses of topical 1% epinephrine hydrochloride in one eye. The epinephrine was administered twice, ie, at time “zero” (8 am) and 12 hours later (at 8 pm). The mean intraocular pressure responses at four hours and at 24 hours (12 hours after the last dose of epinephrine) were significantly correlated, r = 0.59 (P <.001). This suggested that the simpler four-hour test was an equally accurate measure of the ocular responsiveness to topical epinephrine.