Glaucoma and cardioprotective medication

AbstractPurpose: To investigate the impact of cholesterol‐lowering medication, anticoagulants, and antihypertensive medication on the onset of glaucoma in Denmark from 1996 to 2018.Methods: We included all 2.5 million Danish individuals over 40 years of age. We used the National Danish Registry of Medicinal Products Statistics to identify all claimed prescriptions for glaucoma medication, cholesterol‐lowering medication, anticoagulants and antihypertensives. Glaucoma was defined as having three claimed prescriptions, being diagnosed in hospital or having undergone glaucoma surgery.Results: We first employed a cross‐sectional study design. We found that patients treated with cardioprotective medication have a significantly higher overall risk rate for glaucoma than those who do not take the medication after controlling for a range of factors. In particular, we found that cholesterol‐lowering medication (RR of 1.46, p < 0.0001), anticoagulants (RR of 1.36, p < 0.0001) and antihypertensive medication (RR of 1.35, p < 0.0001) all were significantly correlated with an increased risk of glaucoma. Furthermore, all three medications remain significantly correlated in a joint analysis, with the strongest association seen between glaucoma and cholesterol‐lowering medication. We then employed a panel data study design. We found that cholesterol‐lowering medication, anticoagulants, and antihypertensive medication are each significantly positively associated with glaucoma within 2‐ and 5‐year intervals. Finally, we employed a regression discontinuity study design. We confirmed a previous finding showing that antihypertensive medication has an apparent causal negative effect on the risk of developing glaucoma. Moreover, we found that prescription of cholesterol‐lowering and anti‐glaucomatous medication have similar causal effects.Conclusions: Overall, the present study indicates that cardioprotective medication may have a preventive effect on the development of glaucoma.