Subscribe to Newsletter
Subspecialties Glaucoma

The Pill and Glaucoma

In 2011, Harvard Medical School researchers (1) reported that the use of oral contraceptives for five years or longer carried a 25 percent increased risk of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Now, a second study has provided supporting data: in a poster at the American Association for Ophthalmology conference (2), Wang et al. described a doubling in the prevalence of POAG among women who took oral contraceptives for three years or longer. The latest study used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to track self-declared glaucoma.

0313-202.pills

Future longitudinal studies and double blinded clinical trials are needed to detect any causative effect of longer term oral contraceptive use on the risk of glaucoma, the authors cautioned. In the meantime, suggests author Shan Lin of the University of San Francisco, “long-term oral contraceptive users who higher risk of glaucoma, such as women with a family history of glaucoma and those of African ethnicity, may consider being screened for glaucoma.”

While the studies provide no information on the causation of POAG, the link with estrogen will surely spark interest. Giving estrogen to menopausal animals helps prevent glaucoma. “Estrogen receptors are present on retinal ganglion cells,” notes Lin, “and the hormone is thought to have a protective effect.”

Receive content, products, events as well as relevant industry updates from The Ophthalmologist and its sponsors.

When you click “Subscribe” we will email you a link, which you must click to verify the email address above and activate your subscription. If you do not receive this email, please contact us at [email protected].
If you wish to unsubscribe, you can update your preferences at any point.

  1. LR Pasquale, JH Kang, “Female reproductive factors and primary open-angle glaucoma in the Nurses’ Health Study”, Eye (Lond), 25(5), 633–641 (2011).
  2. YE Wang, DTQ Barbosa, Y Li, S Wang, S Lin, “Association between Oral Contraceptive Use and Glaucoma in the United States”, Abstract PO339, oral presentation given at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, New Orleans.
About the Author
Richard Gallagher
Related Case Studies
Business & Profession Glaucoma
TrabEx Pro: The Next Level in MIGS

| Contributed by MST

Finding Ocular Surface Inflammation

| Contributed by Quidel

Product Profiles

Access our product directory to see the latest products and services from our industry partners

Here
Register to The Ophthalmologist

Register to access our FREE online portfolio, request the magazine in print and manage your preferences.

You will benefit from:
  • Unlimited access to ALL articles
  • News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts
  • Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Ophthalmologist magazine

Register

Disclaimer

The Ophthalmologist website is intended solely for the eyes of healthcare professionals. Please confirm below: