A new study has found a possible link between a common type of blood pressure medicine and a higher risk of glaucoma, a serious eye disease that can lead to blindness if not treated.
The research was done by Dr. Alan Kastner and his team at Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London.
They looked at the health records of over 427,000 adults in the UK. Among them, more than 33,000 people were taking a blood pressure medicine called a calcium channel blocker, or CCB for short.
After checking for other factors like age, lifestyle, and other health problems, the researchers discovered something worrying. People who took CCBs were more likely to have glaucoma than people who took other blood pressure medicines. They also had early signs of eye damage, even if the pressure inside their eyes seemed normal.
Usually, glaucoma is caused by high pressure inside the eye. But this study shows that CCBs might harm the eyes in a different way, and researchers don’t yet fully understand how.
CCBs are widely used to treat high blood pressure. They work by relaxing the blood vessels and improving blood flow. This helps reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But now, this new study suggests that these drugs might increase the risk of another silent condition—glaucoma.
Glaucoma is especially dangerous because it often has no early symptoms. Many people don’t realize they have it until they’ve already lost part of their vision. And once that vision is gone, it can’t be brought back. That’s why regular eye check-ups are so important, especially for people who are at higher risk.
High blood pressure is also known as a silent killer because it usually doesn’t cause any obvious symptoms. If it’s not treated, it can lead to heart problems, strokes, and other serious illnesses. This is why so many people take blood pressure medication. But if that medicine might also increase the risk of glaucoma, doctors and patients need to be careful.
The study authors are calling for more research. They want to know if CCBs are truly the cause of the increased glaucoma risk or if there’s another explanation. They also hope to figure out how these drugs might affect the eyes.
If you’re taking a CCB and are worried about glaucoma, don’t stop your medicine without talking to your doctor. But it might be a good idea to schedule an eye exam and discuss your options.
It’s also important to mention that some of the researchers have worked with drug companies. It’s not clear if this had any impact on the study, but it’s something to keep in mind.
This research was published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that timing matters when taking high blood pressure pills and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure taking a drug worsen the disease.
For more about blood pressure, please read studies that new research challenges conventional blood pressure guidelines and scientists make a big breakthrough in high blood pressure treatment.
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