Large Study Finds Statins Cut Glaucoma Risk by Up to 15 Percent

Use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs is associated with a lower risk of glaucoma, according to a large cohort study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The findings offer fresh hope amid the limited options for glaucoma therapy, which has so far focused only on lowering pressure inside the eye.

Glaucoma, dubbed the “thief of sight,” damages the optic nerve slowly and cannot be cured. An estimated 95 million people worldwide live with the condition, and that number is projected to keep rising as populations age. Modifiable risk factors—such as smoking, obesity, sleep apnea, hypertension, and high cholesterol—are key targets for intervention.

The study, led by Robert N Weinreb of the University of California San Diego, analyzed the medical records of about 210,000 people over age 40. Statin users were compared with those who had never taken the drugs. After five years, statin users had a 15 percent lower risk of developing open-angle glaucoma. At ten years, the risk remained 10 percent lower.

More striking still, statins were also linked to a reduced need for surgical procedures in glaucoma patients. Within five years, the risk of undergoing incisional surgery fell 36 percent, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) procedures fell 55 percent, and selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) fell 60 percent. After ten years, those figures were 32 percent, 46 percent, and 51 percent lower, respectively.

“If confirmed in prospective studies, statin use should be viewed as a complement to standard intraocular pressure-lowering therapy,” Weinreb said. “Statins are not meant to replace conventional care.”

Benjamin Bert, an ophthalmologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center who was not involved in the research, said the findings support the hypothesis that statins have a neuroprotective effect on the optic nerve. “We know there are forms of glaucoma that keep worsening even when eye pressure is controlled,” he said. He hopes further exploration could yield more targeted neuroprotective drugs, even for other neurodegenerative diseases.

Echoing that view, Daniel Liebman of Massachusetts Eye and Ear cautioned that the study was not a randomized controlled trial, so it does not prove cause and effect. “I would not yet prescribe statins purely for glaucoma at this stage,” he said. Still, he highlighted the potential added benefit for glaucoma patients who already take statins for cholesterol. Several earlier studies, Liebman added, suggest statins can influence biological pathways that regulate fluid drainage from the eye, and have anti-inflammatory and nerve-protective properties.

For Indonesia, the findings are relevant given the high burden of cardiovascular disease and vision disorders. Riskesdas data show a significant prevalence of high cholesterol and hypertension, while access to specialist eye care remains limited in the regions. If the glaucoma benefit of statins is confirmed, patients already receiving statins for heart disease could gain double protection—a meaningful therapeutic efficiency in a resource-limited health system.

Even so, the researchers stress the need for prospective, randomized clinical trials to confirm the effect of statins on glaucoma incidence and treatment. The remaining question: does the benefit come from cholesterol lowering alone, or is there a specific neuroprotective mechanism that can be targeted? The answer will not only shape the future of glaucoma therapy but also open the door to new approaches for other neurodegenerative diseases.