A new study suggests that people taking a common type of blood pressure medicine, called Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs), may have a higher risk of getting glaucoma. Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can lead to blindness if it’s not treated.
The research was led by Dr. Alan Kastner and his team from Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London. They looked at the health records of 427,480 adults in the United Kingdom. Out of those people, 33,175 were taking CCBs.
After studying the data and considering other factors like age, lifestyle, and other health problems, the researchers found something important: people who took CCBs were more likely to have glaucoma than those who didn’t. This increased risk wasn’t found in people taking other types of blood pressure medicine.
Even more surprising, the study showed that people on CCBs had early signs of glaucoma in their eyes—even if their eye pressure was normal. This is unusual because glaucoma is usually linked to high pressure inside the eye. The researchers think there may be another way CCBs are affecting the eyes, but they’re not sure what it is yet.
This finding is important because CCBs are used by many people around the world. These medicines work by relaxing blood vessels so blood can flow more easily, which helps lower blood pressure. But now it seems they might also be increasing the chance of getting a serious eye disease.
Glaucoma is tricky because it usually doesn’t cause symptoms early on. Many people don’t even know they have it until they’ve already lost some vision—and once that happens, the vision loss can’t be reversed. That’s why it’s very important for people, especially those at higher risk, to get regular eye check-ups.
At the same time, blood pressure problems are also dangerous and can lead to heart attacks and strokes. That’s why it’s important to manage it carefully, often with medicine like CCBs. But if this medicine might increase the risk of glaucoma, doctors and patients may need to be more cautious.
The researchers say that more studies are needed to know for sure if CCBs are causing glaucoma, or if something else is going on. They also want to better understand how these medicines affect the eyes.
If you’re taking CCBs and are worried about this, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. Don’t stop taking your medicine without medical advice, but it may be wise to ask about eye health and glaucoma screening.
Some of the researchers in the study have connections to drug companies, but it’s not clear how that may have affected the results.
For more eye health tips, you can read about how diabetes affects the eyes, treatments for dry eye, and ways to protect your eyes from glaucoma. Some studies even show that certain eye surgeries might lower your risk of dementia.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that may increase high blood pressure risk, and drinking green tea could help lower blood pressure.
For more information about high blood pressure, please see recent studies about what to eat or to avoid for high blood pressure, and 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
The study was published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
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