Frequently Asked Questions

XALATAN can help control eye pressure in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension and may help reduce the risk of visual field loss.

How XALATAN lowers eye pressure

The front of your eyes is naturally filled with a watery fluid. Your body is always producing new fluid while the old fluid is draining out. But if your drainage channels don’t work well, the fluid begins to build up.

If this happens, the pressure inside your eyes will rise. You usually cannot feel this pressure, but it can cause damage to the optic nerve and lead to permanent vision loss.

XALATAN works by increasing the outflow of the fluid inside the eye. This allows excess fluid to drain. In turn, the pressure in your eyes drops.

If you think you have high eye pressure, or need high eye pressure treatment, talk to your doctor about whether XALATAN may be an appropriate option for you.

Here are 3 suggested tips to help make sure you receive brand-name XALATAN and not a generic:

1. At your doctor’s office: Ask your doctor to prescribe brand-name XALATAN and to indicate “DAW” (Dispense As Written)—or the language used in your state—on all of your XALATAN prescriptions.
2. At your pharmacy’s drop-off: Tell the pharmacist that you want brand-name XALATAN—and be sure to use the XALATAN Savings Card. The XALATAN Savings Card can only be used with brand-name XALATAN.
3. At your pharmacy’s pick-up: Check your bottle to be sure it's brand-name XALATAN—not the generic—and also check that you’ve saved on your prescription.

Talk to your doctor and/or your pharmacist to ask if you should be getting brand-name XALATAN. For tips on having that conversation, download the Brand Savings Tip Sheet.

Check your bottle to make sure it says XALATAN.

The XALATAN Savings Card allows eligible patients to pay as little as $0 every time they get a 30-day fill of brand-name XALATAN—and could save up to $1,500 a year. If you have a prescription for brand-name XALATAN, you can use the card for every fill through December 31, 2024.*

*Terms and conditions apply.

There are 2 ways to use the card immediately. Once you’ve activated your Savings Card, you can either:

• Bring a printed copy of it to the pharmacy
• Show it to your pharmacist on your phone

You can keep this card with you and continue to save on each fill for XALATAN through December 31, 2024.

To be eligible to use a XALATAN Savings Card:

• You do not have insurance from any Federal Healthcare Program (including Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or any other state or federal medical pharmaceutical benefit program or pharmaceutical assistance program)
• You and your spouse/partner are not both over age 65 and retired
• You do not receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or any other Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits
• Neither you, your spouse or your parents are on active military duty and, if so, you are not covered by their military health insurance
• You do not have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
• You are over the age of 18
• You agree to the Terms and Conditions

To learn the full details of who is eligible, please see the full Terms and Conditions.

To get a Savings Card, register here and then download your card or have it sent to you via mail or email.

You can activate your Savings Card here.

Yes, for reimbursement when using a nonparticipating pharmacy: Pay for your XALATAN prescription, and mail a copy of the original pharmacy receipt (cash register receipt NOT valid) with product name, date, and amount circled to: XALATAN Savings Card, 2250 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560. Be sure to include a copy of the front of your XALATAN Savings Card, your name, and mailing address.

Yes, for reimbursement when using the XALATAN Savings Card through a mail-order pharmacy: Pay for your XALATAN prescription, and mail a copy of the original pharmacy receipt (cash register receipt NOT valid) with product name, date, and amount circled to: XALATAN Savings Card, 2250 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560. Be sure to include a copy of the front of your XALATAN Savings Card, your name, and mailing address.

1. After washing your hands thoroughly, hold the bottle in one hand, resting your thumb against your eyebrow or the bridge of your nose.
2. Use the index finger of your other hand to gently pull down your lower lid and make a pocket for the drop.
3. Gently squeeze the bottle to dispense 1 drop into the pocket of your lower lid.

And remember, when using XALATAN...

• Wait at least 5 minutes between each eye drop (if you use more than 1 eye drop of medicine)
• If you forget to use XALATAN one day, apply the next drop as usual the next day. Don't try to catch up by using 2 drops the next day. Track your eye drops with the XALATAN Administration Guide & Progress Tracker
• If you wear contact lenses, remove your lenses before using XALATAN and wait 15 minutes after dosing before putting them back in
• Always wash your hands before using eye drops, or touching your eyes, contacts, or the XALATAN bottle. Use soap and warm running water to create a lather. Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds—wash the fronts and backs of your hands, your wrists, between your fingers, and under fingernails. Use either a clean, dry towel or a fresh disposable towel to thoroughly dry your hands and to turn off the faucet
• Avoid contamination by not touching the dispenser and other surfaces with your hands

Tips for using eye drops
If you have never used eye drops before, you may find it a little tricky at first. Don't worry—most people find that it gets much easier as time goes on. Try some of these tips to get started:

• If you have trouble getting the drop into your eye, try turning your head to the side, or lying down. Then place a drop in the inner corner of your eyelid, and open your eye slowly. The drop should roll right into your eye
• If you find that it's difficult to pull down on your lower eyelid to make a pocket for the drop, try gently pinching the eyelid instead. Then just drop the medicine into the pocket you created
• If you tend to blink before the drop hits your eye, try looking to the side rather than straight at the dropper
• If you aren't sure that you are getting the drop into your eye, try placing the bottle in the refrigerator before use. When you feel the cool eye drop, you will know that it made it into your eye
• If your hand is shaking, try resting your hand on your face—this may help steady your hand. If that doesn't work, try wearing a light wrist weight

XALATAN only needs to be used 1 time per day.

If you forget to use XALATAN one day, apply the next drop as usual the next day. Don't try to catch up by using 2 drops the next day. Track your eye drops with the XALATAN Administration Guide & Progress Tracker

The recommended time to take XALATAN is once daily in the evening.

Try to get into the habit of applying your XALATAN eye drops at the same time every day. Use the XALATAN Administration Guide & Progress Tracker to keep track of when you've administered XALATAN.

If you have never used eye drops before, you may find it a little tricky at first. Don't worry—most people find that it gets much easier as time goes on. Try some of these tips to get started:

• If you have trouble getting the drop into your eye, try turning your head to the side, or lying down. Then place a drop in the inner corner of your eyelid, and open your eye slowly. The drop should roll right into your eye
• If you find that it's difficult to pull down on your lower eyelid to make a pocket for the drop, try gently pinching the eyelid instead. Then just drop the medicine into the pocket you created
• If you tend to blink before the drop hits your eye, try looking to the side rather than straight at the dropper
• If you aren't sure that you are getting the drop into your eye, try placing the bottle in the refrigerator before use. When you feel the cool eye drop, you will know that it made it into your eye
• If your hand is shaking, try resting your hand on your face—this may help steady your hand. If that doesn't work, try wearing a light wrist weight

Contact lenses should be removed prior to the administration of XALATAN, and may be reinserted 15 minutes after administration.

Protect XALATAN from light and store unopened bottle(s) under refrigeration at 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F). Once a bottle is opened for use, it may be stored at room temperature up to 25°C (77°F) for 6 weeks.

People with known hypersensitivity to latanoprost, benzalkonium chloride, or any other ingredients in this product. XALATAN should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when XALATAN is administered to a nursing woman.

Like all medicines, XALATAN can have side effects you should be aware of. XALATAN side effects include blurred vision, burning and stinging, eye redness, the feeling of something in the eye, eye itching, increased pigmentation (darkening) of eye color, or irritation of the clear front surface of the eye, or cold or flu. There have been reports of bacterial keratitis associated with the use of multiple-dose containers of topical ophthalmic products.

XALATAN may slowly cause darkening of the eye color, darkening of the eyelid and eyelashes, and increased growth and thickness of eyelashes. Color changes may increase as long as XALATAN is administered, and eye color changes are likely to be permanent.

High eye pressure (also known as high intraocular pressure or high IOP) is a condition that can put you at risk for glaucoma.

High eye pressure occurs when drainage channels in the eye clog, increasing pressure in the eye. This can hurt the optic nerve.

You can't usually feel high eye pressure, and there often are no symptoms at first. But that doesn't mean that it isn't damaging your sight.

If the optic nerve becomes damaged from increased eye pressure, you may have glaucoma. And since this damage to your sight can't be fixed, it is important to have regular eye exams—especially if you are at risk.

You can't usually feel high eye pressure, and there often are no symptoms at first. But that doesn't mean that it isn't damaging your sight.

If the optic nerve becomes damaged from increased eye pressure, you may have glaucoma. And since this damage to your sight can't be fixed, it is important to have regular eye exams—especially if you are at risk.

There are many types of glaucoma. But open-angle glaucoma is the most common type. And while open-angle glaucoma is linked to increased pressure inside the eye, not all patients with glaucoma have high eye pressure. That means:

• Your eye pressure may be normal and you would still be at risk for glaucoma
• You may have some type of glaucoma that doesn’t respond to eye pressure–lowering treatments

See your doctor to determine what type of glaucoma you have and if it is related to high eye pressure.

High eye pressure

High eye pressure can damage your optic nerve, which can lead to glaucoma. Once the damage is done, it cannot be reversed. Studies suggest that lowering eye pressure may slow the progression of glaucoma.

Over age 60

Increased age is a risk factor for glaucoma.

African American or Hispanic

Glaucoma is more common in these heritages.

Family history

If you have a parent or sibling with glaucoma, you have an increased chance of developing the disease.