Tumor Necrosis Factor in Sepsis
March 1990
in “
JAMA
”
TLDR Topical eye β-blockers might cause hair loss, which usually gets better after stopping the medication.
The document described 56 cases of alopecia reported to the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side Effects, associated with the use of topical ocular β-blockers, specifically timolol (48 patients), betaxolol (5 patients), and levobunolol (3 patients). The affected patients were mainly female (over 90%) and aged 33 to 86 years. The type of hair loss observed was diffuse and non-scarring, impacting the scalp, eyelashes, and eyebrows. Recovery typically occurred within 4 to 8 months after stopping the medication. The document highlights the need for physicians to consider topical ophthalmic β-blockers as a possible cause of hair loss and calls for further research to confirm this association.