Advances of anti-glaucoma Chinese herb monomers

Glaucoma is an eye disease characterized by progressiveretinal nerve damage and impaired vision, which is the top one irreversible blinding eye disease. The pathologic intraocular pressure elevation is its key risk. At present, the clinical medicine with intraocular pressure reducing and retinal nerve protection effects focused on symptomatic therapy with unsatisfied effects. Chinese herb monomers have advantages of both Chinese herbs and chemical drugs. Chinese herbs and Chinese herb monomers have favorable effects on glaucoma therapy, especially on retinal nerve protection, which provides a vast room for new drug development. The paper summarized applications and mechanism of representative anti-glaucoma Chinese herbal formulas, Chinese herbs and especially Chinese herb monomers, which would provide references for clinical therapy and new drug development for glaucoma.