Study finds Pill may double glaucoma risk

Optical groups have stressed more investigation is needed after US research showed female patients who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years were twice as likely to suffer from glaucoma.

They were 2.05 times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition, found research presented at the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in New Orleans this month.

It claimed to be the first study to establish the increased risk after previous studies in the field found oestrogen may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. ‘This study should be an impetus for future research to prove the cause and effect of oral contraceptives and glaucoma,’ said Shan Lin, MD, lead researcher and professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of California San Francisco. ‘At this point, women who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years should be screened for glaucoma and followed closely by an ophthalmologist, especially if they have any other existing risk factors.’