Eye health issues examined in Ophthalmology

Three separate studies on eye health examine the role of antioxidant supplements, the relationship of visual acuity and mortality, and the causes of glaucoma in the May 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

39,876 professional women aged 45 or more took 600 IU of vitamin E every other day and 100 mg of aspirin every day in the 10-year randomized, controlled Women's Health Study (WHS). Women who took vitamin E supplements had rates of cataract development comparable with women who did not take such supplements.

A study led by Tien Yin Wong, MD, PhD examined the correlation between eyesight and mortality. The study assessed 1,232 Chinese people living in Singapore, 10% of whom died; in this group, the death rate was found to be three times higher for people with 20/40 vision.

Evidence has been found to support the theory that low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure may be a significant contributor to optic nerve damage in glaucoma. Results of a study showed that between 1996 and 2007, 28 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who had CSF samples taken by lumbar punctures had significantly lower pressure than controls.