Among the known glaucoma riskfactors such as family history, smoking, diabetes, age and race, it is also
known that women who have an early onset of menopause also seem to be at
greater risk of glaucoma-which suggests a role of female hormones in glaucoma
risk.
Research on Postmenopausal Hormones & Glaucoma Risk
According to researchers
publishing in JAMA
Ophthalmology taking estrogen only
postmenopausal hormone (PMH) treatment may help reduce the risk for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). By reviewing data from 152,163 women 50 years
or older the researchers found that 1.9% of enrollees developed POAG. Each
additional month of use of PMH
containing estrogen only was associated with a 0.4 percent reduced risk for
POAG whereas each additional month of use of estrogen + progesterone or
estrogen + androgen hormones did not affect risk for POAG. This is interesting
information and will require further prospective clinical studies to understand
fully but may offer some novel treatments for primary open angle glaucoma
(POAG), an insidious sight threatening eye diseases and the most common type of
glaucoma.
If
you or someone you know has a question about postmenopausal hormones and
glaucoma risk or any glaucoma risk factors or needs and eye exam and glaucoma
testing, please call The Eye Care & Surgery
Center at 908-789-8999, visit The
Eye Care & Surgery Center
or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.
The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.
The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.
