534-309 Ocular Pharmacology

Credit Points:

Coordinator:

Prerequisite/s:

Timetable:

Contact:

Objectives:

By the end of the teaching program in Ocular Pharmacology the optometry student should:

Comprehend:

• the various ways in which drugs act on the body, with a specific emphasis on drugs used in optometry and generally on the eye;

• the way drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolised and eliminated, with a specific emphasis on mechanisms involving the eye;

• therapeutic uses of drugs on the eye;

• the implications of systemically administered drugs to ocular function.

Have developed:

• skills in reading the literature and keeping up to date on ocular pharmacology and toxicology;

• an ability to communicate with patients and health professionals about pharmacology and therapeutics;

Appreciate:

• the importance of drug action in the eye;

• the special needs of optometry patients undergoing drug therapy for other conditions.

Content:

Principles of drug action. Administration of drugs to the eye; absorption and penetration through the cornea. Mechanisms of drug elimination and metabolism. Autonomic innervation of the eye; miotics, mydriatics and cycloplegics. Drugs used in systemic and central conditions and their consequence to ocular function. Drugs used in ocular conditions; local anaesthetics, antiinflammatory drugs, antihistamines, anti-infective agents and drugs used in the treatment of glaucoma. Ocular toxicology and drug information.

Assessment: