Ocular hypertension. II. A carbonic anhydrase inhibitor test for early detection of glaucoma.

The intraocular pressure before and three h after oral administration of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor was measured in one normotensive, one hypertensive as well as two glaucoma groups. The ratio between the outflow pressure after and before this treatment was estimated. The percentage outflow pressure was found to be about 50% in the normotensive group and in the two glaucoma groups, but in the hypertensive group 68%. This carbonic anhydrase inhibitor test (CAI-test) seems to give additional information which can improve the possibility of differentiating between high normative pressure and early glaucoma prior to glaucomatous lesions.