Do Glaucoma Medications Prolong Life Span?
Could taking a medication for glaucoma lower your risk of dying? An intriguing new study published in the Archives of Opthalmology suggests that it can. Glaucoma is a common eye condition that’s caused by the build up of pressure behind the eye – a condition that damages the optic nerve. This disease can result in complete loss of vision if left untreated. According to this study, taking any medication for glaucoma lowers a glaucoma sufferer’s chances of dying. Researchers studied the medical records of 21,506 people who were forty years of age or older who had been diagnosed with glaucoma or who were suspected of having it. They found that people with glaucoma who had taken a medication to treat it had a seventy-four percent reduced death rate – no matter what type of glaucoma medication they had taken. All classes of glaucoma drugs seemed to reduce the risk of dying. A variety of medications are used to treat glaucoma including beta blockers, alpha antagonists, carbonic anhydrase inh
