Glaucoma medications and mortality: a retrospective cohort study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Pharmacoepidemiology

Background:

• Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Effective management of glaucoma is crucial for preserving vision.
• Understanding the systemic effects of glaucoma treatment is important for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the 4-year all-cause mortality rate in veterans dispensed glaucoma medications.
• To assess the association between glaucoma medication exposure and the hazard of death.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort analysis of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) beneficiaries aged 40+ with glaucoma diagnoses.
• Linked VHA clinical and pharmacy data with a national mortality registry.
• Used Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for comorbidities and demographic factors.

Main Results:

• A total of 214,971 beneficiaries were analyzed; 11.7% died within 4 years.
• Glaucoma medication use was associated with a statistically significant 7% reduced hazard of death (aHR, 0.93; 95% CI: 0.90-0.95).
• Reduced mortality risk was observed for multiple topical medication use, but not for individual agents.

Conclusions:

• Glaucoma medication use showed a protective association with all-cause mortality in veterans.
• This effect might be influenced by unmeasured confounding variables, such as clinical decisions regarding treatment for patients with limited life expectancy.