Timolol

3 medicines

Timolol eye drops lower pressure inside the eye to treat glaucoma; enough of the drug reaches the bloodstream to act like an oral beta-blocker, so it should be avoided in people with asthma or a slow heart rate.

Combigan

Brimonidine, Timolol

0.2/0.5%

Combigan is a eye care medication containing Brimonidine + Timolol, available as 0.2/0.5% bottles.

from $36.41 / bottle View

Cosopt

Dorzolamide, Timolol

2/0.5%

Cosopt is a eye care medication containing Dorzolamide + Timolol, available as 2/0.5% bottles.

from $46.18 / bottle View

Timoptic

Timolol

0.5%

Timoptic is a eye care medication containing Timolol, available as 0.5% bottles.

from $7.08 / bottle View

Key facts

  • Timolol eye drops are a beta-blocker that lowers pressure inside the eye by reducing the fluid it produces, protecting the optic nerve in glaucoma.
  • Usually applied once or twice daily; pressing a finger gently on the inner corner of the eye for a minute after each drop reduces how much reaches the rest of your body.
  • Even as eye drops, timolol is absorbed into the bloodstream in amounts large enough to slow the heart and narrow the airways like an oral beta-blocker. Avoid it if you have asthma, severe COPD, or a slow heart rate.
  • Seek urgent care for wheezing, severe shortness of breath, a very slow or irregular heartbeat, or fainting.

What timolol treats

Timolol eye drops treat open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension, raised eye pressure that has not yet damaged the optic nerve. They are also used to control eye pressure after some types of eye surgery, and are often combined with other pressure-lowering drops when one alone is not enough.

How timolol works

Timolol blocks beta receptors in the ciliary body, the part of the eye that produces aqueous humour, the fluid filling the front of the eye. Reducing that fluid production lowers the pressure inside the eye, easing the strain on the optic nerve.

Before you take it

  • Tell your prescriber if you have asthma, severe COPD, a slow heart rate, heart block, or heart failure. Timolol drops can worsen all of these because enough drug reaches the bloodstream to act like an oral beta-blocker.
  • Tell your prescriber about other beta-blockers, whether tablets or drops, and about calcium-channel blockers or any drug that slows the heart, since combining them can cause dangerously slow heart rates.
  • If you wear contact lenses, remove them before applying the drops and wait at least 15 minutes before putting them back in.
  • If you use more than one type of eye drop, space them at least five minutes apart.

Side effects

Common effects include stinging on application, temporary blurred vision, dry or watery eyes, and mild irritation.

Stop and seek urgent medical care for any of these:

  • Wheezing or difficulty breathing.
  • A very slow or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, or fainting.
  • Sudden vision loss or severe eye pain.

Safety essentials

  • Timolol eye drops are absorbed into the bloodstream in amounts large enough to cause classic beta-blocker effects, so they must be avoided in people with asthma, severe COPD, or a slow heart rate or heart block.
  • Pressing on the inner corner of the eye after each drop, called punctal occlusion, reduces how much medicine drains into the tear duct and is absorbed into the rest of the body.
  • Tell every doctor, dentist, and anaesthetist that you use timolol drops, since it can interact with other heart and blood-pressure medicines and with some anaesthetics.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.