[ALERT] Could statins be stealing your sight?

This is both exciting—and frustrating.

Not the potential threat, of course—but yet another study exposing a major health risk of my last favorite drug: statins.

According to new research, adults with high cholesterol who take statins may face a significantly higher risk of developing glaucoma—a leading cause of blindness—compared to non-users.

Here’s everything you need to know…

The eye-opening truth

The study was published in Ophthalmology Glaucoma.

Researchers used the “All of Us Research Program” database to analyze the health records of nearly 80,000 adults with high cholesterol.

Ultimately, they found that statin users experienced a near-50 percent higher risk of glaucoma. Even after adjusting for confounding factors, statin users still had a 13 percent higher risk.

And that’s not all…

Patients with so-called “optimal” LDL cholesterol levels (below 100) had a 39 percent increased risk of glaucoma. Those with “high” LDL levels (160-189) faced a 37 percent risk.

That stopped me in my tracks.

See, statins are prescribed to help patients achieve “optimal” LDL cholesterol levels. Yet, statin users in this range still faced a heightened risk of this sight-stealing disease.

Exposing double standards

Now, consider this: if a study showed a non-pharmaceutical benefit—say, coffee reducing cancer risk—you wouldn’t hear a single recommendation. (I just reported on this yesterday.)

But when a study exposes the DANGERS of a highly marketed pharmaceutical drug—like statins—researchers immediately rush to the drug’s defense. (Talk about hypocrisy!)

In fact, the study authors find the above results to be “unusual” and “premature.”

Victoria Tseng, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at UCLA Stein Eye Institute and Doheny Eye Centers UCLA, and the senior author of the study, even went so far as to say: “I certainly would not be telling my patients on statins to stop their statins.”

What!? Clearly what’s good for the goose is not good for the gander…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You will never see mainstream medicine go against Big Pharma. There’s just too much money at stake.

And honestly, most physicians won’t take you off a medication for fear of liability—even if evidence shows that drug is doing more harm than good.

Well, the buck stops here. I always look at the full picture and make the best decision for each individual patient of mine. And yes, that includes adjusting dosages as well as eliminating certain medications, as necessary.

I highly encourage you to find a physician you can trust. If you’re on a statin, share this commentary with them—and see if another route might make more sense for your health.

Because while the mainstream continues to push the low cholesterol myth with their cash-cow statin drugs, ask yourself if the drug’s many health risks are worth any potential benefit. And don’t forget to include your vision in that equation.

Source:

“Study Finds Association Between Statins and Glaucoma.” MDedge, 12/18/2024. (mdedge.com/internalmedicine/article/271977/cardiology/study-finds-association-between-statins-and-glaucoma)