Because of the variability in excretion of timolol into breastmilk and minimal reported experience during breastfeeding, other agents may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
Ophthalmic use of timolol by the mother should pose little risk to the breastfed infant, although some guidelines state that gel formulations are preferred over solutions.[1,2] To substantially diminish the amount of drug that reaches the breastmilk after using eye drops, place pressure over the tear duct by the corner of the eye for 1 minute or more, then remove the excess solution with an absorbent tissue. The manufacturer of Combigan states that it is not recommended for use during lactation, but there is no evidence for this statement.