Glaucoma And Rock Inhibitors: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

One of the main causes of permanent blindness, glaucoma is characterised by gradual damage to the optic nerve and is frequently linked to high intraocular pressure (IOP). While reducing IOP is the main goal of traditional therapy, recent studies have shown how important Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) is to the pathophysiology of glaucoma. There are various medication classes which are used in the treatment of glaucoma like Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, Cholinergic agonist , α 2 - adrenergic agonists,   β - adrenergic blockers, RHO kinase (ROCK), Inhibitors , Prostaglandin analogues, etc. Recent studies show increased use of ROCK inhibitors in  a first line treatment as it acts directly on the root cause. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of glaucoma along with  its types. This review also informs about available treatments  for  glaucoma (conventional and non-conventional) with a specific focus on the role of RHO kinase inhibitors  along with the various drugs of this class. It  also threw  light on the available medical and surgical treatments. It also discussed various available conventional as well as non conventional ophthalmic dosage forms. This review prioritises on the new class of ROCK inhibitors, which includes ripasudil, fasudil and netarsudil. A brief about their mode of action, clinical studies, effectiveness, safety, and prospects for further research wete also discussed.