Side Effects

Side Effects of Xalacom Eye Drops

Possible side effects

Like all medicines this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. You can usually carry on using the drops, unless the effects are serious. If you’re worried, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. Do not stop using Xalacom without speaking to your doctor. Listed below are the known side effects of using Xalacom. The most important side-effect is the possibility of a gradual, permanent change in your eye colour. It is also possible that Xalacom might cause serious changes in the way your heart works. If you notice changes in your heart rate or heart function you should speak to a doctor and tell them you have been using Xalacom. The following are known side effects of using Xalacom: Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): • A gradual change in your eye colour by increasing the amount of brown pigment in the coloured part of the eye known as the iris. If you have mixed-colour eyes (blue-brown, grey-brown, yellow-brown or green-brown) you are more likely to see this change than if you have eyes of one colour (blue, grey, green or brown eyes). Any changes in your eye colour may take years to develop. The colour change may be permanent and may be more noticeable if you use Xalacom in only one eye. There appears to be no problems associated with the change in eye colour. The eye colour change does not continue after Xalacom treatment is stopped. Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people): • Eye irritation (a feeling of burning, grittiness, itching, stinging or the sensation of a foreign body in the eye) and eye pain. Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people): • Headache • Redness of the eye, eye infection (conjunctivitis), blurred vision, watery eyes, inflammation of the eyelids, irritation or disruption of the surface of the eye • Skin rashes or itching (pruritus) Page 7 of 9 Other side effects Like other medicines used in the eyes, Xalacom (latanoprost and timolol) is absorbed into the blood. The incidence of side effects after using eye drops is lower than when medicines are, for example, taken by mouth or injected. Although not seen with Xalacom, the following additional side effects have been seen with the medicines in Xalacom (latanoprost and timolol) and therefore might occur when you use Xalacom. The listed side effects include reactions seen within the class of beta-blockers (e.g. timolol) when used for treating eye conditions: • Developing a viral infection of the eye caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). • Generalized allergic reactions including swelling beneath the skin that can occur in areas such as the face and limbs and can obstruct the airway which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing, hives or itchy rash, localized and generalized rash, itchiness, severe sudden life-threatening allergic reaction. • Low blood glucose levels. • Dizziness. • Difficulty sleeping (insomnia), depression, nightmares, memory loss, hallucinations. • Fainting, stroke, reduced blood supply to the brain, increases in signs and symptoms of myasthenia gravis (muscle disorder), unusual sensations like pins and needles, and headache. • Swelling at the back of the eye (macular oedema), fluid filled cyst within the coloured part of the eye (iris cyst), light sensitivity (photophobia), sunken eye appearance (deepening of the eye sulcus). • Signs and symptoms of eye irritation (e.g. burning, stinging, itching, tearing, redness), inflammation of the eyelid, inflammation in the cornea, blurred vision and detachment of the layer below the retina that contains blood vessels following filtration surgery which may cause visual disturbances, decreased corneal sensitivity, dry eyes, corneal erosion (damage to the front layer of the eyeball), drooping of the upper eyelid (making the eye stay half closed), double vision. • Darkening of the skin around the eyes, changes to the eyelashes and fine hairs around the eye (increased number, length, thickness and darkening), changes to the direction of eyelash growth, swelling around the eye, swelling of the coloured part of the eye (iritis/uveitis), scarring of the surface of the eye. • Whistling/ringing in the ears (tinnitus). • Angina, worsening of angina in patients who already have heart disease. • Slow heart rate, chest pain, palpitations (awareness of heart rhythm), oedema (fluid build up), changes in the rhythm or speed of the heartbeat, congestive heart failure (heart disease with shortness of breath and swelling of the feet and legs due to fluid build up), a type of heart rhythm disorder, heart attack, heart failure. • Low blood pressure, poor blood circulation which makes the fingers and toes numb and pale, cold hands and feet. • Shortness of breath, constriction of the airways in the lungs (predominantly in patients with pre-existing disease), difficulty breathing, cough, asthma, worsening of asthma. • Taste disturbances, nausea, indigestion, diarrhoea, dry mouth, abdominal pain, vomiting. Page 8 of 9 • Hair loss, skin rash with white silvery coloured appearance (psoriasiform rash) or worsening of psoriasis, skin rash. • Joint pain, muscle pain not caused by exercise, muscle weakness, tiredness. • Sexual dysfunction, decreased libido. In very rare cases, some patients with severe damage to the clear layer at the front of the eye (the cornea) have developed cloudy patches on the cornea due to calcium build-up during treatment. Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.