Latanoprost Eye Drops Protect Vision, But Their Preservative Can Damage Your Eyes
Latanoprost is one of the rare treatments that has been proven in a large placebo-controlled trial to not just lower eye pressure, but actually slow the loss of vision in glaucoma. Over 24 months, people using latanoprost saw significantly less visual field deterioration compared to placebo. That's the kind of outcome that matters when you're trying to protect your sight for decades. But there's a catch baked into the classic formulation. The preservative used to keep the drops stable, benzalkonium chloride (BAK), can damage the surface of your eye, worsen dry eye symptoms, and chip away at the comfort that keeps people using their drops consistently. The good news: newer preservative-free versions appear to work just as well without that tradeoff.