What Is Bimatoprost Used For?

Bimatoprost is used for lowering eye pressure to help prevent damage to the optic nerve in people with high eye pressure or open angle glaucoma. It works by opening the channels that drain fluid from the eye. Healthcare providers may occasionally recommend off-label bimatoprost uses as well, such as for treating other types of glaucoma (other than open angle).

Bimatoprost Drug Information

An Overview of Bimatoprost Uses

Bimatoprost ophthalmic solution (Lumigan^®) is a prescription eye drop used to lower eye pressure in people with the following conditions:

Open angle glaucoma
High eye pressure (ocular hypertension).

Glaucoma is actually a group of eye diseases that share certain features, including high pressure within the eye, optic nerve damage, and loss of peripheral (side) vision. Sometimes, blindness may occur. Open angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma (see Types of Glaucoma).

Although there is no cure for open angle glaucoma, symptoms can usually be controlled. The most common treatments are:

Laser surgery (see Glaucoma Laser Surgery)
Medications (see Glaucoma Medications)
Traditional surgery (see Glaucoma Surgery).

Not everyone with high eye pressure has glaucoma. For instance, people may have high eye pressure without any damage to the optic nerve, especially early in the course of the disease process. However, high eye pressure should be treated, since it can lead to glaucoma. Effectively treating high eye pressure can help prevent glaucoma.

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