[Studies on the psychological profile of glaucoma patients and on the action of the long-term pilocarpine vehicle Ocusert (author's transl)].

The investigations were carried out on two groups of newly diagnosed glaucoma patients. Each group contained 25 patients. One group received standard pilocarpine drops, the other the Ocusert pilocarpine system. Ocusert is a system which releases a constant amount of pilocarpine over a period of seven days. The psychological profile of the patients was investigated with the aid of the Freiburg inventory test sheet and the Giessen test. Glaucoma patients appear to have a particular personality structure. After three months' Ocusert treatment psychological tests showed a decrease in nervousness, irritability and emotional instability in all patients. In the group given pilocarpine drops the above parameters were intensified. The results of Ocusert treatment are in agreement with those obtained by other authors. In addition, there was considerably less miosis and myopia than during trop treatment. Even though the patients had initial difficulties with Ocusert, they learnt how to handle it correctly within one to seven days.