Statins may lead you to cataract, says study

Statins are good for keeping cholesterol at check but the scientists say they can obstruct your vision by developing cataract.

According to the scientists, there were no certain proofs that the drugs caused the eye condition, but they found that people who took statins – such as Zocor and Lipitor – were more likely to develop cataracts, compared to people who didn’t take the medication.

“The results were consistent that there was a higher risk of being diagnosed with cataracts among statin users,” said Dr. Ishak Mansi, the study’s senior author from UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Dallas VA Medical Center in Texas.

Statins are popular anti-cholestrol drugs that block a substance the body needs to make cholesterol, which can get trapped in arteries and ultimately lead to heart attacks and cardio vascular diseases. The drugs are especially recommended for people with diabetes or a history of cardiovascular problems.

A survey suggests, about one-quarter of US adults aged 45 and older take statins.

Study

The researchers used data collected from the medical records of people between the age group of 30 and 85 years old who were enrolled in one healthcare system in San Antonio, Texas, and received care between 2003 and 2010.

First analysis

The scientists carried a comparative study between 7,000 people who were on statins for at least 90 days to about 7,000 people who were not on statins but were similar in about 40 other characteristics, including other health conditions, medications and healthcare use.

About 36 percent of statin users were diagnosed with cataracts, compared to about 34 percent of people not taking statins.

Second analysis

The researchers looked at people with no other known health conditions. It included 6,113 statin users and 27,400 people who did not take statins.

Before adjusting the results for the participants’ age, sex, weight, medications, healthcare use, other vision conditions and cigarette, alcohol and drug use, the researchers found about 34 percent of statin users were diagnosed with cataracts, compared to about 10 percent of people not taking statins.

After adjusting for those factors, statin use was linked to about a 27 percent increased risk of cataracts.