Do antihistamines affect, in any way, the treatment of glaucoma or eye pressure levels?
Antihistamines do have ocular side effects and the warning label in most antihistamines warn patients with glaucoma to avoid their use. Antihistamines can dilate the pupil and in patients and this can lead to an episode of angle-closure in glaucoma in patients that are predisposed and have narrow angles. In patients with open-angle glaucoma, the use of antihistamines is not likely to cause angle closure, and it is not contraindicated in patients with open angles. It is important that you make sure that your eye doctor has completed a gonioscopy to ensure that the drainage angle is open before you use these types of medications. In addition, there is no evidence that the use of antihistamines interacts with any of the medications used to treat glaucoma.
