Background: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of latanoprost compared with timolol in the treatment of Asian patients with chronic angle-closure glaucoma (CACG). Methods: Relevant trials were identified through systematic searches of Medline, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and several Chinese databases. The main outcome measures included absolute and relative reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) at mean, peak and trough from baseline, ocular adverse effects and systemic adverse events. Results: Seven randomized controlled trials with 685 patients were included. In comparison with timolol, latanoprost reduced absolute IOP in CACG patients by more than 2.3 mmHg (95% CI, 1.8 similar to 2.9, P<0.01), 2.4 mmHg (95% CI, 1.9 similar to 2.9, P<0.01) and 2.5 mmHg (95% CI, 1.6 similar to 3.3, P<0.01) at mean, peak and trough, respectively. As for relative IOP, there is 9.0% (95% CI, 6.6 similar to 11.4, P<0.01), 9.7% (95% CI, 7.6 similar to 11.8, P<0.01), and 10.8% (95% CI, 7.4 similar to 14.3, P<0.01) greater reduction among latanoprost users than among timolol users. The differences were statistically significant at all time points (1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks). More ocular adverse effects (OR = 1.49, 95% CI, 1.05 similar to 2.10, P = 0.02) and less systemic adverse events (OR = 0.46, 95% CI, 0.25 similar to 0.84, P = 0.01) were observed in latanoprost group in comparison with timolol group. Conclusion: Compared with timolol, latanoprost was significantly more effective in lowering IOP of Asian patients with CACG, with higher risk of ocular adverse effects but lower risk of systemic adverse events, and might be a good substitute for CACG patients.