Question
Dr. Leatherman, you answered a question on Glaucoma  for a woman named Sheila. In your answer you mentioned Glaucotab. Do you know if the clinical tests that were done on Glaucotab are correct? Do you have any prove in the clinical tests? Is there any data on the success rate of Glaucotab? Thank you, Ross.

Answer
Dear Ross,

From the information I have read about Glucotab, the results seem very promising, but I am not aware of any independent published research on the product.  The research I have read has been generated by money donated by the manufacturer of the product, therefore you must take it with a grain of salt. I have not actually performed a PUBMED or MEDLINE search for other clinical data pertaining to the product.

The Glucotab product information site reports a very good measure of effectiveness, but it is still a newer product on the market and I think that there needs to be more clinical research on it.  I have not seen the actual research data, only what has been reported through the manufacturer.

I would recommend that you make an appointment with your Medical Doctor, a glaucoma specialist as well as a local pharmacist to discuss the effectiveness of the product as they are in a much better position to verify the effectiveness through patients they have encountered who actually use the product.  In addition you may want to find a Glaucoma chat room on the internet and ask other people with glaucoma if they have had individual successes with the product.

Ross, I wish I could offer you more on the topic, but it doesn't really fall within my expertise level. Good luck with the pursuit of information.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman