Statins may lower glaucoma risk and reduce treatment needs

Taking statins is linked to a decrease danger of growing glaucoma and a decreased probability of it getting worse, counsel the findings of analysis printed on-line within the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Individuals who have already got glaucoma who’re taking statins seem much less more likely to want stronger remedies like additional eye drops or surgical procedure to maintain it underneath management, the US examine finds.

Glaucoma, a number one explanation for irreversible blindness, is attributable to everlasting harm to the optic nerve.

Statins are prescribed to decrease levels of cholesterol however research have indicated that they could additionally forestall or gradual nerve cell demise. Their potential position in stopping or slowing down glaucoma is poorly understood.

To strengthen the proof base, researchers searched a big international database masking 165 million people.

They in contrast greater than 210 000 individuals who had a document of statin use between August 2006 and August 2026 with a matched management group of 210 000 individuals who had no document of utilizing statins. People in each teams needed to have a recorded ophthalmological comply with up.

Statin use was related to a 15% decrease danger of growing open angle glaucoma, the researchers discovered.

At 5 years, there have been 4771 new diagnoses of glaucoma within the statin group (2.3%) and 5491 within the management group (2.6%).

In a separate evaluation, greater than 30 000 people with glaucoma who had been taking statins had been in contrast with nearly 250 000 people with glaucoma who weren’t taking statins.

Statins had been linked to a decrease danger of the person progressing to wish glaucoma surgical procedure or different therapy.

At 5 years, statin use was related to a 36% decrease danger of incisional glaucoma surgical procedure and a 55% decreased danger of minimally invasive glaucoma surgical procedure (MIGS) – a keyhole process to decrease the intraocular strain within the eye.

Statins had been additionally related to a 60% decrease danger of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) – a process that lowers the strain within the eye through the use of laser pulses. There was additionally a 12% decreased danger of eye drops to scale back the strain within the eye linked to statin use.

After 10 years, statin use continued to be related to a decrease danger of incision glaucoma surgical procedure, MIGS, SLT, and use of eye drops, the researchers discovered.

That is an observational examine and as such, no agency conclusions will be drawn about trigger and impact.

One other limitation of the examine is that the researchers didn’t have entry to particular person affected person information, together with intraocular strain measurements or surgical particulars

This implies they had been unable to find out whether or not surgical procedure was carried out as a result of elevated illness severity or as a result of the affected person was not adhering to therapy. 

However, they are saying their findings add to the rising literature concerning the neuroprotective impact of statins. Potential randomised trials are actually wanted to raised perceive the results of statin use on glaucoma incidence and therapy, they add.

“Our findings counsel that statin utilization is related to each decrease incidence of major open-angle glaucoma in addition to decreased therapy escalation, “the researchers say.