All About Cataracts

Statin medications — such as Zocor, Lipitor, Lescol, Pravachol and Crestor — used to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease may have a side effect of increasing the risk of cataracts.

That’s the finding of a large study of adult men and women published recently in British Medical Journal. Researchers studied more than 2 million patients at 368 general practices in England and Wales. All patients were between the ages of 30 and 84, and 225,922 (10.7 percent) were new users of statins.

The objective of the study was to quantify unintended effects of the use of statin medications, according to type, dose and duration of use.

The researchers found that each statin studied was associated with an increased risk of cataract in both men and women (apart from Leschol in men due to the small number of men in the study taking this medication).

The mean increased risk of cataract formation ranged from from 25 percent to 56 percent among male and female patients being treated with Zocor, Lipitor, Pravachol and Crestor.

A direct comparison test showed no significant difference between the effects of individual statins in men or in women, and there was no evidence of greater risk of cataract with higher doses compared with lower doses.

Risk of cataract was significantly increased within one year of starting statin treatment, persisted during treatment, and returned to normal within the first year after stopping treatment.

The results of this study suggest patients taken statins should be proactively monitored for cataract formation with routine eye exams by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

The outcomes of this study contradict results of a previous Israeli study that found statins may reduce cataract risk among men and women age 45 to 54.

SOURCE:  Unintended effects of statins in men and women in England and Wales: population based cohort study using the QResearch database. British Medical Journal (BMJ). May 20, 2010.

People with cataracts appear to have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a new study published in Eye, the official journal of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study of 12,984 patients over age 50 who underwent cataract surgery in the Central District of Clalit Health Services in Israel during the period 2000 to 2007, comparing their health with 25,968 age- and gender-matched controls.

All subjects were evaluated for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risk factors, including carotid artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, high blood pressure, chronic renal failure, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, smoking, alcohol abuse and high cholesterol.

Results of the study showed that risk factors for cardiovascular disease  were significantly more prevalent in patients undergoing cataract surgery than among people of the same age and gender who did not have cataracts.

The researchers also found a significant association of the following conditions with the development of cataracts: diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, carotid artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, ischemic heart disease  and chronic renal failure.

The study was published online on March 26, 2010 on the website www.nature.com/eye.

Ed. note:  The findings of this study suggest you may be able to lower your risk of cataracts and the need for cataract surgery by adopting a healthy lifestyle and avoiding known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Persistent use of statin drugs, such as Lipitor and Crestor, may lower your risk of developing cataracts, according to a new study.

In recent years, a growing body of evidence suggests statin drugs, used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack, may have anti-inflammatory effects, and these effects could possibly reduce cataract formation.

Statin drugs are among the most commonly prescribed medications in America. They are designed to lower “bad” cholesterol levels and thereby reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Researchers in Israel conducted a retrospective study that reviewed the medical charts of more than 180,000 new statin drug users from 1998 to 2007 to determine if these individuals developed cataracts or needed cataract removal. During the study period, 27,301 cataracts were diagnosed and 6,976 cataract extractions were performed among the study participants.

Continuous use of statin medications throughout the study period was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of cataracts and cataract surgery among men and women ages 45 to 74 years.  No protective effect was seen in participants who were age 75 or older.

The authors of the study concluded that persistent statin use by adults under age 75 has a protective effect against the development of cataracts.

SOURCE: Persistence with statins and incident cataract: A population-based historical cohort study. Annals of Epidemiology. February 2010.