Taking drugs to control diabetes and lower cholesterol may reduce a person’s risk of developing a common eye disease, a new study suggests.
In the new study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers gathered information from 14 studies to assess the drugs’ impact on the risk of people developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Expertsled by a team from the University Hospital Bonn in Germanyexamined studies involving nearly 40,000 people from the UK, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, NorwayPortugal and Russia.
The participants were all over the age of 50 and were taking at least one type of drug to: lower cholesterol — including statins; controlling diabetes – including insulin; to control inflammation – with the exception of steroids; or a drug for the treatment of movement disorders caused by neurodegenerative disease.
About 9,332 people involved in the study were diagnosed with AMD.
Researchers found that people who took drugs to lower cholesterol had a 15% lower risk of developing AMD compared to those who didn’t take the drugs.
Meanwhile, people taking drugs to control diabetes appeared to have a 22% lower risk.
No such associations were found for the other types of drugs used by people involved in the study.
“Our study points to an association between systemic use of LLD (lipid-lowering drugs) and antidiabetic drugs with lower AMD prevalence in several European cohort studies,” the authors wrote.
But they stressed that further studies are needed to examine the findings.
AMD is a common condition that affects the middle part of vision.
While it does not cause total blindness, it can make activities such as reading and recognizing faces difficult.
The Macular Society estimates that at least 1.5 million people in the UK are affected by macular disease.
As our population ages, it becomes much more common and we urgently need to find a cure
Commenting on the study, Cathy Yelf, chief executive of the Macular Society, said: “This latest study is promising news for patients with age-related macular degeneration.
“Anything that could help reduce the risk of developing this devastating condition would be life-changing for many.
“Macular disease is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world and while it most commonly affects people over the age of 55, it can also affect younger people.
“As our population ages, it becomes much more common and we urgently need to find a cure.
“The condition has a significant impact on those diagnosed, as well as their families. It is more important than ever to fund research to try and stop this disease and we welcome any research that can bring us closer to this reality.”