5 Vyzulta Side Effects and How to Manage Them

If you schedule an appointment with an eye doctor, there’s a chance they’ll evaluate your eye pressure. This test, along with several others, helps diagnose eye conditions like glaucoma.

Glaucoma is more than just a health condition. It’s actually a group of diseases that have one thing in common — some degree of optic nerve damage. This nerve connects your eyes to your brain, allowing you to interpret and understand things that you see. Damage to the optic nerve can cause vision loss.

Although there’s no cure for glaucoma, several treatments can help slow it down. Of these, glaucoma eye drops are especially common. One newer medication is Vyzulta (latanoprostene bunod).

Vyzulta is a convenient, once-daily eye drop. It’s FDA approved to treat high eye pressure and open-angle glaucoma (the most common type of glaucoma). A type of prostaglandin medication, it’s known for its effectiveness in managing glaucoma. But just like with any other drug, Vyzulta comes with some risks and side effects to consider.

Vyzulta side effects at a glance

Vyzulta’s side effects usually only affect the eyes. They rarely affect other parts of your body. Still, it’s important to know what to expect when starting Vyzulta.

Common Vyzulta side effects include:

• Red eyes

• Eye irritation

• Pain

• Feeling like there’s something in your eye

Rarer side effects include:

• Darker eyes, eyelids, and eyelashes

• Longer and thicker eyelashes

• Eye inflammation and swelling

• Bacterial infections

Let’s discuss five notable Vyzulta side effects and how to manage them.

1. Red eyes

Eye redness (“bloodshot” eyes) was the most commonly reported side effect of Vyzulta during clinical trials. It does this by dilating blood vessels in your eyes. And this effect isn’t unique to Vyzulta — many other glaucoma eye drops cause red eyes for a similar reason.

Studies have found that eye redness is most intense at the beginning of treatment with Vyzulta. The intensity should decrease over time. In many cases, eye redness should eventually subside altogether.

There are ways to manage eye redness in the meantime. Similar to other prostaglandin eye drops, it’s recommended to take Vyzulta at bedtime. This is mainly because they control eye pressure more effectively at night. But it can also make red eyes less noticeable.

However, be careful with redness-relief treatments. If you’ve had bloodshot eyes in the past, you may have tried over-the-counter (OTC) products such as Clear Eyes (glycerin / naphazoline). While convenient, these eye drops aren’t the best option to manage red eyes from Vyzulta. They may actually increase the pressure in your eye. This isn’t ideal with glaucoma.

2. Eye irritation, pain, and feeling like there’s something in your eye

Vyzulta can cause eye pain and irritation. You may feel burning, stinging, or dryness in your eye after administering a dose. Feeling like there’s something in your eye can also happen.

These symptoms are likely the result of a poor reaction to preservatives that are added to the eye drop. Preservatives help prevent contamination with bacteria and other germs, but they can be hard to tolerate. Vyzulta contains the preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK), which is known to cause irritation and other side effects.

These symptoms may go away as your eyes get used to the medication. But you don’t have to stand by and try to tolerate the discomfort. Artificial tears, which can be found OTC at your pharmacy, can help moisten and hydrate your eyes to make them feel less irritated. Taking your dose before bedtime should also help dull some of these symptoms.

Other glaucoma eye drops are an option, too. Some prostaglandin eye drops don’t have BAK — including Travatan Z (travoprost) and Zioptan (tafluprost). If you want or need to avoid eye drops containing BAK, talk to your healthcare provider about trying a BAK-free option.

Good to know: BAK can damage soft contact lenses. This is why it’s recommended to remove your contacts before instilling Vyzulta. You can put your contacts back in 15 minutes after using the eye drops.

3. Longer or thicker eyelashes

Vyzulta may make your eyelashes grow longer and thicker. It can also increase the number of eyelashes and change the direction of how they grow. This is likely because Vyzulta mimics your body’s natural prostaglandins.

Eyelash growth doesn’t cause pain or discomfort. In fact, many people consider this a benefit of the medication. A different prostaglandin eye drop (Latisse) is even FDA approved to promote eyelash growth. But if you’re bothered by this side effect, talk to your healthcare provider to figure out the next steps.

Vellus (“peach fuzz”) hair changes are also possible with Vyzulta. In rare cases, it could increase the growth of hairs under the eyelids.

Keep in mind: Don’t get concerned if you don’t like your new look. These changes are generally reversible after stopping the medication.

4. Darker eye color

Vyzulta has the ability to darken your eye color. Darker irises (the colored part of your eye) and eyelids can occur with Vyzulta use.

This change is attributable to a different prostaglandin-related effect. These medications cause cells in your eyes to make more melanin. This is the same chemical that causes browner hair and darker skin.

This side effect isn’t all too common, and it doesn’t happen quickly. You may not see any changes in your eye color for months to years. But, if these changes do appear, they can be permanent. Your healthcare provider will likely watch for this side effect, but it’s important to talk to them about any changes you spot during treatment.

5. Bacterial infections

Bacterial keratitis can occur when you’re using eye drops like Vyzulta. This is an eye infection that results in inflammation. It tends to happen when your eye drop bottle becomes contaminated with bacteria.

To prevent bacterial keratitis, wash your hands before instilling every dose of Vyzulta. It’s also important to avoid touching the tip of the dropper with your hands or eyes. Closing your bottle tightly after each use helps prevent contamination, too.

If you experience watery eyes, eye discharge, or pain when taking Vyzulta, be sure to contact your healthcare provider. These are possible symptoms of an infection. Vision changes and light sensitivity should also be reported. Treating an eye infection depends on the specific cause, but it can include an antibiotic, antifungal, and/or steroid eye drop.

When should you contact a healthcare provider about Vyzulta side effects?

Let your healthcare provider know if you experience eye redness, pain, or irritation that’s bothersome or doesn’t go away. They can figure out if Vyzulta is at fault or if there’s another cause for your symptoms. They can also recommend management tips as needed.

Other situations are more timely. Promptly let your healthcare provider know if sudden or severe symptoms appear. Changes in vision and any symptoms of infection (i.e., eye pus, discharge) are important alarm bells to watch out for.

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Written by:

Cassandra Pardini, PharmD, MS

Cassandra Pardini has been a freelance medical writer for 7 years. In that time, she has concentrated on publishing articles on medication-related information for healthcare professionals and patients.

Reviewed by:

Crystal Akpede, PharmD Candidate

Crystal currently works as a pharmacy intern at a community outpatient pharmacy located within a health clinic. During pharmacy school, Crystal also served as the secretary for her campus’ chapter of the pharmaceutical fraternity Kappa Psi and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association.

Reviewed by:

Christina Aungst, PharmD

Christina Aungst, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She began writing for GoodRx Health in 2019, transitioning from freelance writer to editor in 2021.

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