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Migraine is not a risk factor for glaucoma: Evidence from a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study
Zhengxiong Kou1, Haiyan Zhang2, Xiaofeng Hou1
1Department of Neurosurgery, The People's Hospital of Yubei District of Chongqing, Chongqing, China.
Medicine
|June 27, 2026
Summary
This study found no causal link between migraine and glaucoma using bidirectional Mendelian Randomization. Genetic analysis confirms migraine does not increase glaucoma risk, nor does glaucoma increase migraine risk.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology and Neurology
- Genetic Epidemiology
Background:
- Observational studies suggest a link between migraine and glaucoma, but findings are conflicting.
- Existing literature shows discrepancies regarding migraine as a risk factor for glaucoma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential causal relationship between migraine and glaucoma.
- To clarify the discrepancies in existing literature using a robust methodology.
Main Methods:
- Employed a bidirectional Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach.
- Utilized independent genetic variants associated with migraine and glaucoma as instrumental variables.
- Performed sensitivity analyses including leave-one-out, MR-Egger, and MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier methods.
Main Results:
- No evidence of a causal relationship was found when migraine (with or without aura) was assessed as an exposure factor for glaucoma (angle-closure or open-angle).
- Reverse MR analysis also showed no substantial evidence of a causal link when glaucoma was assessed as an exposure factor for migraine.
- Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the bidirectional MR findings.
Conclusions:
- Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization analysis mitigates biases inherent in observational studies.
- There is no direct causal relationship identified between migraine and the risk of developing glaucoma.
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