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Taking statins is linked to a lower risk of developing glaucoma and a reduced chance of it getting worse, suggest the findings of research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

People who already have glaucoma and are taking statins appear less likely to need stronger treatments like extra eye drops or surgery to keep it under control, the U.S. study finds.

Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness, is caused by permanent damage to the optic nerve.

Statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, but studies have indicated that they may also prevent or slow nerve cell death. Their potential role in preventing or slowing down glaucoma is poorly understood.

To strengthen the evidence base, researchers searched a large global database covering 165 million individuals.

They compared more than 210,000 people who had a record of statin use between August 2006 and August 2026 with a matched control group of 210,000 people who had no record of using statins. Individuals in both groups had to have a recorded ophthalmological follow-up.

Statin use was associated with a 15% lower risk of developing open-angle glaucoma, the researchers found.

At five years, there were 4,771 new diagnoses of glaucoma in the statin group (2.3%) and 5,491 in the control group (2.6%).

In a separate analysis, more than 30,000 individuals with glaucoma who were taking statins were compared with almost 250,000 individuals with glaucoma who were not taking statins.

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