Xalatan

What Xalatan is and what it is used for

Xalatan belongs to a group of medicines known as prostaglandin analogues. It works by increasing the natural outflow of fluid from inside the eye into the bloodstream. Xalatan is used to treat conditions known as open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension in adults. Both of these conditions are linked with an increase in the pressure within your eye, eventually affecting your eye sight. Xalatan is also used to treat increased eye pressure and glaucoma in all ages of children and babies.

How to take Xalatan

Always use Xalatan exactly as your doctor or the doctor treating your child has told you. You should check with your doctor or the doctor treating your child or pharmacist if you are not sure. The recommended dosage for adults (including the elderly) and children is one drop once a day in the affected eye(s). The best time to do this is in the evening. Do not use Xalatan more than once a day, because the effectiveness of the treatment can be reduced if you administer it more often. Use Xalatan as instructed by your doctor or by the doctor treating your child until they tell you to stop. Contact lens wearers If you or your child wear contact lenses, they should be removed before using Xalatan. After using Xalatan you should wait 15 minutes before putting the contact lenses back into the eyes. Instructions for use 1. Wash your hands and sit or stand comfortably. 2. Twist off the outer cap (which can be thrown away). Page 4 3. Unscrew the protective inner cap. The protective cap should be retained. 4. Use your finger to gently pull down the lower eyelid of your affected eye. 5. Place the tip of the bottle close to, but not touching your eye. 6. Squeeze the bottle gently so that only one drop goes into your eye, then release the lower eyelid. 7. Press a finger against the corner of the affected eye by the nose. Hold for 1 minute whilst keeping the eye closed. 8. Repeat in your other eye if your doctor has told you to do this. 9. Put the protective inner cap back on the bottle. If you use Xalatan with other eye drops Wait at least 5 minutes between using Xalatan and taking other eye drops If you use more Xalatan than you should If you put too many drops into the eye, it may lead to some minor irritation in the eye and the eyes may water and turn red. This should pass, but if you are worried contact your doctor or the doctor treating your child for advice. Contact your doctor as soon as possible if you or your child swallows Xalatan accidentally. If you forget to use Xalatan Carry on with the usual dosage at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you have forgotten. If you are unsure about anything talk to your doctor or pharmacist. If you stop using Xalatan You should speak to your doctor or the doctor treating your child if you want to stop taking Xalatan. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. The following are known side effects of using Xalatan:

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
• A gradual change in your eye colour by increasing the amount of brown pigment in the coloured part of the eye known as the iris. If you have mixed-colour eyes (blue-brown, grey-brown, yellow-brown or green-brown) you are more likely to see this change than if you have eyes of one colour (blue, grey, green or brown eyes). Any changes in your eye colour may take years to develop although it is normally seen within 8 months of treatment. The colour change may be permanent and may be more noticeable if you use Xalatan in only one eye. There appears to be no problems associated with the change in eye colour. The eye colour change does not continue after Xalatan treatment is stopped.
• Redness of the eye.
• Eye irritation (a feeling of burning, grittiness, itching, stinging or the sensation of a foreign body in the eye). If you experience eye irritation severe enough to make your eyes water excessively, or make you consider stopping this medicine, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse promptly (within a week). You may need your treatment to be reviewed to ensure you keep receiving appropriate treatment for your condition.
• A gradual change to eyelashes of the treated eye and the fine hairs around the treated eye, seen mostly in people of Japanese origin. These changes involve an increase of the colour (darkening), length, thickness and number of your eye lashes.

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
• Irritation or disruption to the surface of the eye, eyelid inflammation (blepharitis), eye pain, light sensitivity (photophobia), conjunctivitis.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
• Eyelid swelling, dryness of the eye, inflammation or irritation of the surface of the eye (keratitis), blurred vision, inflammation of the coloured part of the eye (uveitis), swelling of the retina (macular oedema).
• Skin rash.
• Chest pain (angina), awareness of heart rhythm (palpitations).
• Asthma, shortness of breath (dyspnoea).
• Chest pain.
• Headache, dizziness.
• Muscle pain, joint pain.

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1000 people):
• Inflammation of the iris (iritis), symptoms of swelling or scratching/damage to the surface of the eye, swelling around the eye (periorbital oedema), misdirected eyelashes or an extra row of eyelashes, scarring of the surface of the eye, fluid filled area within the coloured part of the eye (iris cyst).
• Skin reactions on the eyelids, darkening of the skin of the eyelids.
• Worsening of asthma. Page 6
• Severe itching of the skin.
• Developing a viral infection of the eye caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV).

Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
• Worsening of angina in patients who also have heart disease, sunken eye appearance (eye sulcus deepening). Side effects seen more often in children compared to adults are runny itchy nose and fever. In very rare cases, some patients with severe damage to the clear layer at the front of the eye (the cornea) have developed cloudy patches on the cornea due to calcium build-up during treatment.

Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme website: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

How to Store Xalatan

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and bottle. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. Store the unopened bottle at room temperature (Do not store above 25°C), protected from light. After opening the bottle store it at room temperature (Do not store above 25°C) and use within 4 weeks of opening. When you are not using Xalatan, keep the bottle in the outer carton, in order to protect it from light. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.