The Eye Care & Surgery Center
cautions people taking aspirin that while widely used, aspirin may increase
your risk of macular degeneration (AMD). Aspirin is routinely taken on an
“over-the –counter” basis for headaches, body ache, fever and even by patients who are at high
risk of heart attack due to atherosclerosis, as aspirin has excellent
anticoagulant properties.
The Beaver Dam Eye Study found that
regular aspirin use 10 years prior to eye examination was associated with late
AMD, with estimated incidence of 1.76 percent, compared to 1.03 percent in
non-aspirin users. Although these associations appear small they are in fact statistically significant as regular aspirin
use 10 years prior to eye examination was significantly associated with the
“wet” form of AMD, which accounts for 10 percent of all AMD cases, but is
responsible for the majority of functional blindness attributed to the disease.
Another Australian study found that regular aspirin users developed wet AMD an
astounding 24.5 percent of the time. Even after adjusting for other risk
factors like age, sex, smoking, history of heart disease and body mass index,
regular aspirin users still had a higher risk of developing wet AMD. These researchers
concluded, “Regular aspirin use is associated with increased risk of incident
neovascular [Wet] AMD, independent of history of cardiovascular disease and
smoking.”
Alternatives to Aspirin
If you’re a regular aspirin user,
you should get a thorough eye exam as soon as possible to determine your AMD
status as AMD often doesn’t show any symptoms until well after the problem has
advanced. 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.
With
locations 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, The Eye Care &
Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for
patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.
