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News
Prostaglandin analogs — a go-to glaucoma treatment — may quietly thin the cornea over time, causing standard eye pressure measurements to read lower than they actually are. A study of 128 eyes found treated eyes thinned nearly 3.5x more than untreated ones, widening the gap between standard and biomechanics-adjusted pressure readings. Clinicians are being urged to routinely recheck corneal thickness in patients on these drops.
A popular class of glaucoma medications may be giving clinicians a false sense of security. New data presented at Academy 2026 show that prostaglandin analogs — widely used to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) — can progressively thin the cornea, causing standard pressure measurements to underestimate true eye pressure. That gap could lead doctors to believe a patient's glaucoma is well-controlled when it isn't.
The study tracked 128 eyes (67 treated, 61 untreated) over roughly three years. Treated eyes lost an average of 11.7 µm of central corneal thickness versus just 3.4 µm in untreated eyes. Among "super-thinners" — patients who lost 20+ µm — those on prostaglandin analogs showed a 3.3 mm Hg gap between standard and biomechanics-adjusted pressure readings, compared to just 1.4 mm Hg in untreated super-thinners.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Undetected IOP underestimation can lead to under-treatment and faster glaucomatous progression. Researchers are calling for routine corneal thickness monitoring in patients on prostaglandin analogs — a step not currently standard in most clinics.
