Birth Control & Glaucoma
Taking birth control pills may be linked to the development of open angle glaucoma (also known as chronic glaucoma).
A study published in the journal Eye (18 February, 2011) describes the findings of a study of nearly 80,000 women over 26 years. The study sought to find the connection, if any, between the development of glaucoma and the women’s age at menarche, reproductive history, and taking oral contraceptives.
Neither the age of the women when they first menstruated nor their childbearing history had any relation to their chances of getting glaucoma.
The study did find that taking birth control pills for longer than 5 years was related to a moderately increased risk of developing glaucoma.
Source: Nature.com (Eye)
Antidepressants & Glaucoma
The FDA has recently approved Cymbalta, the drug commonly prescribed to treat depression, to also be given patients who suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain. It has been recommended to people with chronic low back pain and chronic osteoarthritis pain. The drug’s manufacturer, Elly Lily, does not claim to understand how Cymbalta helps alleviate these symptoms.
Source: .disabled-world.com
Cymbalta and other antidepressants have been associated with the development of glaucoma. Antidepressants have also been blamed for such conditions as cataracts and dry eye syndrome.