Using postmenopausal hormones (PMH) containing estrogen may reduce the risk for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Several researchers in the past have suggested that using PMH can be associated with modestly reduced intraocular pressure, and thus decrease the risk for glaucoma.
The study authors examined data for over 150,000 women taking PMH with estrogen, with estrogen plus progesterone or with estrogen plus androgen. They found that 1.9% of women had developed open-angle glaucoma. They subsequently noticed that each additional month a woman used a PMH containing estrogen was associated with a 0.4% reduced relative risk for glaucoma. A similar association was not found in the cases of the other two forms of hormones.
More research is needed to better elucidate the complex relationship between PMH use and glaucoma, the authors conclude. Additional work should also further explore whether the risk for POAG is affected only by the use of estrogen alone, or by the use of any PMH class.
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