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Birth Control Pills/ Anti-Depressants Elevate Glaucoma Risk

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.

 


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Phone: 845.475.4158

Natural Eye Care

NaturalEyeCare™ started in 1999 to help the public and professionals learn about complementary care in eye disease treatment.

The information and recommendations we offer are based on over 30 years of peer review research and personal clinical experience which guides us in providing a valuable resource to our readers, customers and patients regarding maintaining healthy vision naturally.

We believe that vision health is intimately connected to overall mental, physical and spiritual health. Therefore we encourage people to look at their overall lifestyle and diet as part of keeping healthy vision and reducing the risk of eye disease onset. This includes diet, regular exercise, and management of daily stress. If one has health issues such as high blood pressure, a thyroid imbalance, any autoimmune disease and/or are on medication(s), these possible contributions to eye disease should considered when working with your health care professional.

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