FDA-filed SPL labeling · retrieved through openFDA

Travoprost Ophthalmic

Travoprost ophthalmic is a prostaglandin analog eye drop used to lower elevated eye pressure in adults with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Brand names Travatan ZiDoseTravatanTravoprost Ophthalmic Soluton
Drug class ⓘ Prostaglandin Analog
Rx Form 1 Route Ophthalmic
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Reviewed by Last reviewed Jul 10, 2026
🧬 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 14 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 →

At a glance
Linked label effectiveJun 27, 2023
Clinical labels in scope ⓘ14
AvailabilityRx
Earliest approval/marketing year ⓘ2001
FDA-listed product records ⓘ25
Boxed warningNone found in compared labels
How we combine label and product data →
⭐ Travoprost Ophthalmic at a glance The quick version — the full detail is in the Patient Information Guide below.
💊
HelloPharmacist Editorial Team Bottom Line
Travoprost ophthalmic solution is an effective once-nightly eye drop for lowering high eye pressure caused by open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The most important things to know are that it commonly causes eye redness and can permanently change your eye color over time. Use it consistently every evening as directed, and let your doctor know about any changes in your vision or eye appearance.
How we write & review this content — our editorial policy →

📖 Travoprost Ophthalmic: Patient Information Guide

A plain-language walkthrough of Travoprost 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▾

Travoprost ophthalmic solution is indicated for reducing elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) — pressure inside the eye — in adults with the following conditions:

  • Open-angle glaucoma — the most common form of glaucoma, where the eye's drainage angle is open but fluid does not drain efficiently, causing pressure to build
  • Ocular hypertension — higher-than-normal eye pressure without (yet) causing glaucoma-related nerve damage
  • Travatan Z and Travoprost Ophthalmic Solution (both as ionic buffered solution 0.004%) are approved for both of these uses
  • Either product may be used alongside other topical eye-pressure-lowering medications when one drug alone is insufficient
⚙️How it works▾

Travoprost is a prostaglandin analog — a synthetic compound that mimics a naturally occurring signaling molecule in the body. When applied to the eye, it is absorbed through the cornea and converted into its active form (travoprost free acid). This active form selectively activates receptors called FP prostanoid receptors, which are believed to widen a secondary fluid drainage route in the eye called the uveoscleral outflow pathway. More fluid draining out means lower pressure inside the eye. The exact molecular steps are not fully understood, but the pressure-lowering effect begins within about 2 hours of the first dose and reaches its peak around 12 hours after dosing.

💊How it's taken▾

Travoprost ophthalmic solution is used as an eye drop, applied once daily in the evening. Using it more often than once a day is not recommended — doing so can actually reduce how well it works. If you take it as part of a combination regimen with other eye drops, separate each drop by at least 5 minutes. Remove contact lenses before applying the drop and wait 15 minutes before putting them back in.

  • One drop in the affected eye(s) each evening
  • Wait at least 5 minutes between different eye drops
  • Remove contacts first; reinsert 15 minutes later
  • If you miss a dose, skip it and resume your normal evening schedule — do not double up
🤒Side effects — in detail▾

The most common side effect of travoprost is eye redness (conjunctival hyperemia), which occurs in 30–50% of users and leads some people to stop treatment. Other reported side effects include:

  • Decreased or blurred vision
  • Eye discomfort, pain, or a sensation of something in the eye
  • Itching in or around the eye
  • Dry eye or increased tearing
  • Darkening of the iris (eye color change)
  • Eyelash changes — longer, thicker, more lashes
  • Inflammation of the eyelid margins (blepharitis) or conjunctivitis (eye inflammation)
  • Headache, sinus infection, or upper respiratory symptoms

More serious reactions to watch for include irregular or fast heartbeat, chest pain, and signs of eye infection or sudden vision changes — contact your doctor right away if any of these occur.

⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
  • Permanent eye color change: Travoprost can increase brown pigmentation in the iris. This change builds over months to years and is likely permanent even after stopping the medication. If used in one eye only, the two eyes may end up different colors.
  • Eyelash and skin changes: The lashes and skin around the treated eye may change — usually reversible after stopping treatment, but worth knowing about.
  • Macular edema: Swelling at the center of the retina has been reported. Risk is higher in people who have had cataract surgery with a damaged lens capsule, or those with other known risk factors.
  • Eye inflammation: People with active uveitis (inflammation inside the eye) should use travoprost with caution, as it may worsen inflammation.
  • Not studied for all glaucoma types: Travoprost has not been evaluated for angle-closure, inflammatory, or neovascular glaucoma.
  • Bottle contamination and infection: Touching the dropper tip to your eye or any surface can introduce bacteria. Keep the tip clean and avoid contact to prevent serious eye infections (bacterial keratitis).
🔀What it interacts with▾

Travoprost ophthalmic solution has limited systemic absorption, so major drug-drug interactions are uncommon — but there are important practical points:

  • Other eye drops: If you use additional topical eye medications to lower eye pressure, space each one at least 5 minutes apart so they don't dilute each other before absorbing properly
  • Contact lenses: Lenses should be removed before the drop is applied and not reinserted for 15 minutes — certain preservatives or solution components can be absorbed by soft contact lens material

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▾
  • Active eye inflammation (uveitis): Use with caution — travoprost may worsen inflammation inside the eye
  • Post-cataract surgery patients (especially with a torn posterior lens capsule): Higher risk of macular edema; discuss with your doctor
  • Pregnancy: Animal studies showed fetal harm at doses close to human levels. Use only if clearly needed and the benefit outweighs the risk; tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to be
  • Breastfeeding: It is not known whether travoprost passes into human breast milk; discuss with your doctor before using while nursing
  • Children under 16: Not recommended due to potential long-term pigmentation concerns
  • Older adults: No special dose adjustment needed — safety and effectiveness are similar to younger adults
  • Liver or kidney impairment: Studies in these patients showed no clinically meaningful changes in lab values
  • Angle-closure, inflammatory, or neovascular glaucoma: Travoprost has not been studied in these conditions; let your doctor know your specific type of glaucoma
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾

Travoprost lowers intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) starting approximately 2 hours after the first dose. The maximum pressure-lowering effect is reached around 12 hours after dosing. Because it is dosed once daily in the evening, the peak effect aligns with overnight hours. Using it more than once a day does not increase the benefit and may actually reduce the IOP-lowering effect.

🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾

Travoprost is absorbed through the cornea and quickly converted by enzymes there into its active form, travoprost free acid. Blood levels after eye-drop dosing are very low — below measurable limits in about two-thirds of people. In those with detectable levels, peak blood concentration is reached within 30 minutes and clears within about an hour. The active free acid is then broken down in the body into inactive byproducts, with an average blood half-life of about 45 minutes. Less than 2% of the dose is excreted in the urine. Steady-state levels are reached within the first week of use, with no significant accumulation over time.

📦How to store it▾

Store at 2° to 25°C (36° to 77°F).

📄 Written from Travoprost 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 →

🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Travoprost Ophthalmic — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.

What is travoprost eye drops actually used for? ▾
Travoprost is used to lower the pressure inside your eye — a condition called elevated intraocular pressure. It's prescribed for people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension (high eye pressure that hasn't yet caused nerve damage). Keeping that pressure under control helps protect your optic nerve and preserve your vision over time.
My eye color looks like it might be changing — is that normal? ▾
Yes, and it's one of the most important things to know about this medication. Travoprost can gradually increase the amount of brown pigment in your iris — the colored part of your eye. This can happen over months or even years, and here's the key thing: the color change is likely permanent, even if you stop the drops. If you're only using it in one eye, the two eyes could end up looking different colors. Let your doctor know so they can monitor it, but don't stop the drops without talking to them first.
When should I put in the drops — morning or night? ▾
Evening is the right time — once daily, every evening. The pressure-lowering effect peaks about 12 hours after you put them in, which means it works best overnight when it's most needed. Don't use the drops more than once a day; doing so can actually make them less effective. If you use other eye drops too, wait at least 5 minutes between each one.
My eyes are really red since I started using this. Should I be worried? ▾
Eye redness — called conjunctival hyperemia — is actually the most common side effect of travoprost, and it happens in 30 to 50 percent of people who use it. For most people it's mild and manageable. That said, a small number do choose to stop the medication because of it. If the redness is severe, painful, or comes with discharge or vision changes, call your doctor — those could be signs of something more serious, like an eye infection.
Can I wear my contact lenses while using these drops? ▾
You need to take your contacts out before putting in the drops. After you've applied the drop, wait at least 15 minutes before putting your lenses back in. This applies every time you use the medication. If you're not sure about your specific lens type, ask your eye doctor or pharmacist.
Is it safe to use travoprost if I'm pregnant or trying to get pregnant? ▾
This is definitely something to discuss with your doctor. Animal studies showed that travoprost could harm a developing fetus at doses that are in a similar range to human use, so there is a potential concern. There aren't well-controlled human studies to give us a clear answer. Your doctor will weigh the benefit of controlling your eye pressure against the possible risk and guide you on what's safest for your situation.
Is Travoprost Ophthalmic available over the counter? ▾
Travoprost Ophthalmic is dispensed by prescription according to its FDA labeling, so it isn't sold over the counter. Your prescriber and pharmacist will determine if it's appropriate for you.
When was Travoprost Ophthalmic first available? ▾
Travoprost Ophthalmic has been available in the United States since at least 2001, based on FDA approval history (Drugs@FDA) and product marketing records.
Who makes Travoprost Ophthalmic? ▾
Travoprost Ophthalmic is supplied by 12 manufacturers listed in the FDA NDC Directory, including Bryant Ranch Prepack, Apotex Corp., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

💬 Answers drafted from Travoprost 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

🌿Drug & Supplement CheckerTravoprost Ophthalmic vs. vitamins & herbs 💬Ask a PharmacistFree answer, usually < 24h 🔎NDC & pricing lookupFind Travoprost Ophthalmic NDCs & costs 🅰️Browse Drugs A–ZLook up any medication

💊 How Travoprost Ophthalmic comes

Travoprost 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

In the eye
Brands Travatan Z Travoprost Ophthalmic Soluton
How this form is used
What it may be used for
  • Travatan Z (travoprost ophthalmic solution ionic buffered 0.004%) is used to lower elevated intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension
  • Travoprost Ophthalmic Solution is used to lower elevated intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension
  • May be used together with other eye-pressure-lowering eye drops when additional pressure control is needed
Important instructions
  • Apply one drop into the affected eye(s) once daily in the evening
  • Do not use more than once per day — more frequent dosing may reduce effectiveness
  • If using other eye drops at the same time, wait at least 5 minutes between each medication
  • Remove contact lenses before instilling the drop; wait 15 minutes before reinserting them
Available strengths 1 strength
0.04 mg/mL
25 FDA-listed product records ⓘ

📊 Travoprost Ophthalmic across the U.S. market

How Travoprost 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.

1
Dose forms ⓘ
12
Manufacturers
5
Brand names
25
FDA-listed product records ⓘ
2001
First marketed ⓘ
Bryant Ranch Prepack20%
Apotex Corp.12%
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation12%
Gland Pharma Limited8%
Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.8%
Micro Labs Limited8%
Other makers32%

Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.

📈 How widely Travoprost Ophthalmic is used

A general measure of how commonly Travoprost 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 Travoprost 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.

16,632
Medicaid prescriptions filled (Q1–Q4 2025)
$3.6M gross Medicaid reimbursement (before mandatory rebates — net cost is lower)

How commonly is Travoprost Ophthalmic prescribed? Of the 1,596 medications we measure, Travoprost Ophthalmic ranks #833 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 48% of them.

Where Travoprost Ophthalmic ranks among the drugs we measure · Q1–Q4 2025 · neighbors ±5
Total prescriptions — #833 of 1,596
#828 Itraconazole 17,092 Rx #829 Potassium Acetate 16,989 Rx #830 Theophylline 16,886 Rx #831 Raltegravir 16,834 Rx #832 Glyburide and Metformi... 16,761 Rx #833 Travoprost Ophthalmic 16,632 Rx #834 Bromocriptine 16,540 Rx #835 Ketoprofen 16,480 Rx #836 Bicalutamide 16,214 Rx #837 Sodium Polystyrene Sul... 16,195 Rx #838 Diclofenac Ophthalmic 16,149 Rx

Utilization by Travoprost 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.

travoprost 0.04 MG/ML Ophthalmic Solution

16,632 Medicaid prescriptions (Q1–Q4 2025) 100% of Travoprost Ophthalmic prescriptions shown $3.6M gross reimbursement (before rebates) ≈ $217 per prescription (gross)

Summed across the 13 of 35 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 284008

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 Travoprost 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 13 of 35 listed Travoprost Ophthalmic NDCs with Medicaid activity.

🔍 Compare Travoprost Ophthalmic products

A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Travoprost 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.)

Showing 25 of 25 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 25 Travoprost Ophthalmic NDCs →

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.

Ingredient (IN) Travoprost Ophthalmic RxCUI 283809 2 dose forms · 3 strengths
  1. Dose form (SCDF) Drug Implant RxCUI 2672087 No current FDA listing
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 0.075 MG RxCUI 2672088
  2. Dose form (SCDF) Ophthalmic Solution RxCUI 374679 In current FDA listings
    Clinical drug / strength (SCD) 0.03 MG/ML RxCUI 1539200 0.04 MG/ML RxCUI 284008

Look up RxCUI 283809 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.

🏷️ Sold under these brand names

Travatan Z iDose Travatan Travoprost Ophthalmic Soluton

🏭 Manufacturers & labelers

Bryant Ranch Prepack 5 Apotex Corp. 3 Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation 3 Gland Pharma Limited 2 Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. 2 Micro Labs Limited 2 Sandoz Inc 2 Somerset Therapeutics, LLC 2 Alembic Pharmaceuticals Inc. 1 Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited 1 Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc 1 Sagent Pharmaceuticals 1

RxNorm drug class

Travoprost Ophthalmic belongs to the Prostaglandin Analog class.

Pharmacologic class Prostaglandin Analog
Drug family (ATC) Prostaglandin analogues

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.

📄
FDA-filed drug labels (SPL) Uses, dosing, warnings & side effects from SPL records retrieved through openFDA; the linked representative set can be verified on DailyMed. ✓ Linked label effective Jun 27, 2023
🏭
Forms, brands & labelersAggregated from ingredient-matched FDA National Drug Code Directory product records for Travoprost Ophthalmic.
📈
Real-world reportsThe FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), served through openFDA.
🚨
Recalls & shortagesopenFDA drug-enforcement reports and the FDA drug-shortage database.
🧾 Clinical label set — FDA-filed SPL labels retained for Travoprost Ophthalmic after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching
Clinical labels in scope
14
NDC products indexed
25
Distinct labelers/manufacturers represented
12
Linked representative label ⓘ
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Linked label effective
Jun 27, 2023
Composite sections available
19
Linked SPL Set ID
028455e0-ae77-4213-8819-3b58ef7d6a14
Linked SPL Document ID
a415f951-2153-4513-959e-2498229ef71f
Open the linked representative label on DailyMed ↗

How we combine label and product data

HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 14 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. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation 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.