Normal tension glaucoma linked to increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease

If the eyes are the window to people’s health, then glaucoma appears to be an indicator of increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Findings from a large, nationwide study from Taiwan shows that people with normal-tension glaucoma are at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Details were presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmologists by Dr. Yu-Yen Chen, MD, PhD, from the Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. Researchers used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2013. A total of 15,317 people with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) were identified and compared to 61,268 age- and gender-matched subjects without glaucoma. The two groups were compared for a variety of health issues, including diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease and stroke, and risk for developing Alzheimer disease. After adjusting for other medical conditions and risk factors, it was found that people with NTG were 52% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s when compared to those without glaucoma. The highest incidence occurred in people who were older, female or had a history of stroke. As well, it was found that the use of glaucoma eye drops neither helped protect against Alzheimer's disease nor did they increase the incidence, according to an AAO conference press release. “From a public health perspective, policy makers are encouraged to enforce Alzheimer’s screening for at-risk patients with normal-tension glaucoma and to provide more substantial and integrated care,” Dr Chen was quoted as saying. Previous studies in the medical literature evaluating links between glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease have shown mixed results, but few studies focused only on normal-tension glaucoma. According to the U.S. National Eye Institute, there are several different types of glaucoma and most have no early symptoms highlighting the importance of screening.

Normal tension glaucoma linked to increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease

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