Association Between Chronic Pain and Risk of Glaucoma: A Prospective Cohort Study

Chronic pain is a prevalent condition. Despite overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, the association between chronic pain and glaucoma remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate their association through a prospective cohort analysis using data from the UK Biobank.

Chronic pain was assessed at baseline through questionnaire. The patterns analyzed included the number of chronic pain locations and different single-location chronic pain. Participants were followed up until glaucoma diagnosis, death, or censoring. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for covariates.

Compared to individuals without chronic pain, those with chronic pain in three or more locations were at a significantly higher risk of glaucoma, with HRs of 1.20 (95% CI, 1.10-1.30; P < 0.001) for pain in three locations and 1.34 (95% CI, 1.24-1.46; P < 0.001) for pain in four or more locations. However, chronic pain in one or two locations did not show a significant association with glaucoma, and no individual pain location was independently associated with glaucoma risk.

This study highlighted the potential cumulative effect of chronic pain across multiple locations on glaucoma risk.

These findings highlight the potential need for further investigation into glaucoma screening in populations with chronic pain in multiple locations.