Cholesterol-lowering medications, both statins and non-statins, may be associated with a reduced risk of developing open-angle glaucoma, especially among patients with cardiovascular and lipid diseases, say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Duke University Eye Center in Durham, N.C.

A different study, published by other researchers in April, showed that statin and aspirin therapy may lower rates of choroidal neovasularization among patients with age-related macular degeneration.

In this latest study, UAB and Duke researchers looked at male glaucoma patients ages 50 and older, and matched 10 control subjects to each case. Looking at prescription files for cholesterol-lowering medications, they found that longer duration of statin use was associated with a lower risk of open-angle glaucoma, especially among subjects who used the drugs for two or more years. They also observed a protective association among patients who used non-statin cholesterol-lowering agents.

Further research could determine if these agents might become a therapeutic option for glaucoma patients, the researchers say.

McGwin G Jr, McNeal S, Owsley C, et al. Statins and other cholesterol-lowering medications and the presence of glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol 2004 Jun;122(6):822-6.