Brinzolamide Ophthalmic
Brinzolamide ophthalmic is an eye drop used to lower elevated eye pressure in people with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 6 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
📖 Brinzolamide Ophthalmic: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Brinzolamide Ophthalmic — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.
🎯What it's used for▾
Brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension 1% is used to reduce elevated pressure inside the eye in two conditions:
- Ocular hypertension — higher-than-normal eye pressure that has not yet caused glaucoma damage
- Open-angle glaucoma — the most common form of glaucoma, where the eye's drainage angle is open but pressure gradually builds up
It can also be used together with other topical (eye drop) medications to lower eye pressure further.
⚙️How it works▾
Your eye constantly produces a clear fluid called aqueous humor to nourish and maintain its shape. An enzyme called carbonic anhydrase II plays a key role in making that fluid. Brinzolamide blocks this enzyme inside the eye's ciliary body (the tissue that makes aqueous humor), slowing down fluid production and reducing the pressure that builds up inside the eye.
Although it is applied as an eye drop, some brinzolamide is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it also binds to carbonic anhydrase in red blood cells. At the levels reached with eye-drop dosing, this systemic effect is not expected to meaningfully affect kidney function or breathing in otherwise healthy people.
💊How it's taken▾
One drop is placed in the affected eye (or eyes) three times a day. Shake the bottle well before each use. If you are using other eye drops at the same time, wait at least 10 minutes between each medication so they don't wash each other out.
- Remove soft contact lenses before instilling the drops and wait 15 minutes before reinserting them
- Avoid touching the dropper tip to your eye or any surface to prevent contamination
- Follow your prescriber's exact instructions — do not change the frequency on your own
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
The most common side effects — seen in 5–10% of people in clinical trials — are blurred vision right after using the drops and a bitter, sour, or unusual taste in the mouth. Other effects reported in 1–5% of users include:
- Eye redness, discomfort, pain, or itching
- Dry eye or a foreign body sensation
- Eye discharge or watering
- Eyelid irritation (blepharitis)
- Headache
- Runny nose
Rarely, serious skin reactions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (severe, widespread blistering) have been reported. Stop the drops and seek immediate medical attention if you notice blistering, peeling skin, or a severe rash.
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Sulfonamide allergy risk: Brinzolamide is a sulfonamide drug. Even though it's used in the eye, it is absorbed into the body and can cause the same serious reactions as oral sulfa drugs — including life-threatening skin disorders (Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis) and rare blood or liver problems. Stop the medication immediately and get medical help if you notice any skin blistering, peeling, or severe rash.
- Corneal swelling: People with a low corneal endothelial cell count (fewer protective cells on the inner surface of the cornea) have a higher risk of corneal edema (swelling of the clear front of the eye). Your eye doctor should assess this before prescribing.
- Severe kidney disease: This medication is cleared by the kidneys and is not recommended if your kidney function is severely reduced.
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma: This drop alone is not sufficient to manage an acute angle-closure glaucoma attack — additional urgent treatment is needed.
- Contamination risk: Never let the bottle tip touch your eye or any surface; contaminated drops can cause a serious eye infection and vision loss.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all medications you take. The main interactions to be aware of with brinzolamide eye drops are:
- Oral carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (such as acetazolamide or methazolamide, taken by mouth for glaucoma): using both together is not recommended because the combined effect on the body can become excessive
- High-dose salicylates (such as high-dose aspirin): may increase the risk of acid-base or electrolyte disturbances when used alongside carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
📋Before taking it▾
- Sulfa allergy: Do not use if you are allergic to any component of the product, including sulfonamide drugs
- Severe kidney disease: Not recommended if your creatinine clearance is below 30 mL/min
- Low corneal endothelial cell count: Use with caution; higher risk of corneal swelling
- Pregnancy: No adequate human safety data; animal studies at very high oral doses showed some fetal effects — talk to your doctor before using
- Breastfeeding: It is unknown whether brinzolamide passes into human breast milk; discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor
- Children under 5: IOP-lowering was not shown in a clinical trial of children aged 4 weeks to 5 years; use in this age group is not established
- Older adults: No special dose adjustment needed — safety and effectiveness are similar to younger adults
- Soft contact lens wearers: Remove lenses before instilling drops and wait 15 minutes before reinserting, as the preservative benzalkonium chloride can be absorbed by soft lenses
🚑If you take too much▾
If someone accidentally swallows brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension, the main concerns are electrolyte imbalances, a drop in blood pH (acidosis), and possible effects on the nervous system. If you suspect ingestion, contact poison control or seek emergency care right away. Electrolyte levels — especially potassium — and blood pH should be monitored.
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾
Brinzolamide lowers eye pressure by reducing how much aqueous humor (fluid) the eye produces. It does this by blocking the carbonic anhydrase II enzyme in the eye's ciliary body, which slows fluid secretion into the eye. Lower fluid production means less pressure buildup — and keeping intraocular pressure in a safe range helps protect the optic nerve from damage that can lead to vision loss.
🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾
After you put the drops in your eyes, brinzolamide is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it binds tightly to an enzyme in red blood cells. Because of this strong binding, it stays in the blood for a very long time — the half-life in whole blood is about 111 days, though blood and plasma levels remain very low with normal eye-drop use. The drug is broken down into metabolites and cleared mainly through the urine, which is why it is not recommended in people with severely reduced kidney function.
📦How to store it▾
Store brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension at 4°C to 30°C (39°F to 86°F).
📄 Written from Brinzolamide Ophthalmic’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Brinzolamide Ophthalmic
3 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Brinzolamide Ophthalmic in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Moderate · 2
- Minor · 1
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Brinzolamide Ophthalmic — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What exactly is brinzolamide treating in my eye? ▾
I noticed a weird bitter taste after putting in the drops — is that normal? ▾
I wear soft contact lenses. Can I still use these drops? ▾
Are there any medications I should avoid while using these drops? ▾
I have a sulfa allergy. Is it safe for me to use this? ▾
What should I watch out for that would mean I need to call a doctor right away? ▾
Is Brinzolamide Ophthalmic available over the counter? ▾
When was Brinzolamide Ophthalmic first available? ▾
Who makes Brinzolamide Ophthalmic? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Brinzolamide Ophthalmic’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →
🧰 Keep exploring
💊 How Brinzolamide Ophthalmic comes
Brinzolamide Ophthalmic is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Eye drops
How this form is used
- Used to lower elevated intraocular pressure (high eye pressure) in ocular hypertension
- Used to lower elevated intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma
- May be used alongside other eye drops that lower eye pressure
- Shake the bottle well before each use
- Instill one drop into the affected eye(s) three times daily
- If using more than one eye drop medication, wait at least 10 minutes between each one
- Remove soft contact lenses before use and wait 15 minutes after instilling before reinserting them; the preservative benzalkonium chloride can be absorbed by soft lenses
📊 Brinzolamide Ophthalmic across the U.S. market
How Brinzolamide Ophthalmic appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
📈 How widely Brinzolamide Ophthalmic is used
A general measure of how commonly Brinzolamide Ophthalmic is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Brinzolamide Ophthalmic is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Brinzolamide Ophthalmic prescribed? Of the 1,597 medications we measure, Brinzolamide Ophthalmic ranks #975 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 39% of them.
Utilization by Brinzolamide Ophthalmic product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
brinzolamide 10 MG/ML Ophthalmic Suspension
Summed across the 6 of 17 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 308805
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Brinzolamide Ophthalmic, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 6 of 17 listed Brinzolamide Ophthalmic NDCs with Medicaid activity.
🔍 Compare Brinzolamide Ophthalmic products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Brinzolamide Ophthalmic — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Eye drops | ||||
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Actavis Pharma, Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Bausch & Lomb Incorporated × 3 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Bryant Ranch Prepack | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Bryant Ranch Prepack × 2 listings | NDA AUTHORIZED GENERIC | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation × 2 listings | NDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Oceanside Pharmaceuticals. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Padagis US LLC × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Sandoz Inc × 2 listings | NDA AUTHORIZED GENERIC | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Sandoz Inc | NDA | View NDC → |
Showing 17 of 17 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 17 Brinzolamide Ophthalmic NDCs →
📈 What people report — real-world data (FDA FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Brinzolamide Ophthalmic — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Brinzolamide Ophthalmic in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
🏛️ The road to your pharmacy
How Brinzolamide Ophthalmic went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
🚨 Recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
Source: openFDA drug enforcement (recall) reports.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 194881 1 dose form · 1 strength
-
Dose form (SCDF) Ophthalmic Suspension RxCUI 371112In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) 10 MG/MLRxCUI 308805
Look up RxCUI 194881 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
📦 Supply & shortage status
Whether Brinzolamide Ophthalmic is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
🏷️ Sold under these brand names
🏭 Manufacturers & labelers
RxNorm drug class
Brinzolamide Ophthalmic belongs to the Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
🔬 Where this comes from
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How we combine label and product data
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 6 FDA-filed SPL label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.
Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Sandoz Inc is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.
This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.