Travatan is used to treat increased eye pressure caused by open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension in adult patients who cannot take, or do not respond to other intraocular (eye) pressure lowering medications.   

Who should not use Travatan?

You should not use Travatan if you: 

• are pregnant or trying to become pregnant 
• are allergic to Travatan or to any of the ingredients in Travatan including benzalkonium chloride 

Special Warnings with Travatan:

Travatan may cause: 

• your treated eye or eyes to change color (become more brown) 
• the skin around the eye such as the eyelid to darken 
• eyelashes to increase in length, thickness, darkness and/or number (
• These changes happen slowly and may be permanent. The long-term effects of these changes are not known. 
• Travatan may also cause the middle part of the eye to swell and hold fluid (macular edema). 

General Precautions with Travatan: 

• Remove contact lenses before using Travatan in the eyes. Wait 15 minutes after using Travatan before putting in your contact lenses because Travatan contains a preservative that may be absorbed by the lens. 
• Travatan must be used at least 5 minutes apart from other eye medicines.
• Travatan may cause the central portion of the retina to accumulate fluid and swell. This is called macular edema. 
• Do not let the tip of the Travatan medicine dropper touch your eye or skin. 

What should I tell my health care provider? 

Tell your health care provider if you: 

• have pain, warmth or swelling in the eyes 
• are trying to become pregnant, are already pregnant, or are breast-feeding 
• have or had kidney problems 
• have or had liver problems 
• wear contact lenses 
• have a history of, or risk factors for macular edema 

Tell your health care provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines may affect how Travatan works or Travatan may affect how your other medicines work. 

What are some possible side effects of Travatan? (This is NOT a complete list of side effects reported with Travatan. Your health care provider can discuss with you a more complete list of side effects.)  

The most common side effects include: 

• red eyes 
• growth of eyelashes 
• itchy eyes 
• blurry vision 
• eye discomfort or pain 
• sensation of having an object in the eye 

For more detailed information about Travatan, ask your health care provider or pharmacist.

Link to Travatan's label

Back to Drug Index

Date Posted:  11/22/02

Updated:  12/29/04ghc