Statins may cut need for glaucoma surgery, study finds

Statins may be protecting people from more than just cholesterol, suggests new research from the University of California in San Diego.

Patients with glaucoma who take the cholesterol-busting pills appear less likely to need surgery and have a reduced chance of the condition worsening, according to findings published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Glaucoma, called the “silent thief of sight” because vision loss occurs slowly, may cause blindness if left untreated by damaging the optic nerve.

Researchers searched a global database covering 165 million people and compared more than 210,000 patients with a record of statin use between 2006 and 2026 with a matched control group of 210,000 non-users.